The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #168402   Message #4079279
Posted By: Stewie
11-Nov-20 - 06:43 PM
Thread Name: Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook
Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
I meant to post this on Remembrance Day yesterday but got caught up with the real world. This song was sung by Kiwi soldiers in North Africa in 1940. 'Dug-out in the True' is related to it. Both
are related to the family of 'Little old log cabin', 'Little old sod shanty' etc.

DUG-OUT
(Anon)

I'm just a greasy private
in the infantry I am,
I've a little dugout in Matruh,
And the flies crawl all around me
as I nestle down to sleep,
In my flea-bound, bug-bound
dugout in Matruh.

Where the windows are of netting
and the doors of four by two
And the sandbags let the
howling dust storm in
I can hear that blinkin' Eytie
as he circles round at night
In my flea-bound,bombed-out
dugout in Matruh.

Where the floor is littered round
with Bully and Meatloaf
For marmalade and jam
we never see.
We're a happy little band
in this bloody land of sand
In my flea-bound bombed-out
dug-out in Matruh.

Now there's Messerschmidts
and Stukas flying all around
Hurricanes and Spitfires very few
When the bombs and shells start flying
That's where you'll find me lying
In my flea bound, bombed out
dugout in Matruh.

Oh I wish I had a sheila
to sit upon my knee,
To relieve me of the misery
that I'm in,
For I'd woo her and caress her,
if this her home she'd make
In my flea-bound, bombed-out
dug-out in Matruh

This is from the NZ Folk Song site which has a page on the family of songs here:

Click

--Stewie.