Here's Walter Pardon's version, very similar to the Firth broadside posted by Jim above. The tune is The King Of The Cannibal Islands, as mentioned above by Malcolm I think.

Mick

---

THE HUNGRY ARMY

When I was young and in my prime,
I thought I'd go and join the line,
And as a^[1] soldier cut and shine
In a glorious hungry army.

  Chorus:
  Sound the bugle^[2], Blow the horn.
  Fight for glory night and morn.
  Hungry soldiers, ragged^[3] and torn,
  Just returned from the army.

The sergeant says, "You're just the chap,"
And placed a knapsack on my back,
They sent me off to Ballarat,
To fight in the hungry army.

They sent us out to drill one day,
The wind was rather strong that way.
In fact, it blew the lot away,
The glorious hungry army.

I've got a medal here you see,
The workhouse presented to me
For hanging on a rotten tree
When the wind blew away the army.

They cut my hair with a knife and fork,
They curled it with a cabbage stalk,
They fed me up on cabbage broth,
To fight in the hungry army.

They dished it out of an old tin can,
A teaspoonful for every man.
I got so fat I couldn't stand,
To fight in the hungry army.

They sent me out to drill recruits -
They kicked me with the^[4] hob-nailed boots.
Oh, take away those awful brutes
From the glorious hungry army.

And now my friends I must be off.
I think I smell the mutton broth.
Here comes General Howl-and-Scoff,
The head of the hungry army.


[1] - could be a very reduced 'the' pronounces as just 'e
[2] - always definite Norfolk pronounciation as 'boogle'
[3] - sometimes pronounced just as ragg'd
[4] - could be a reduced 'their' with ending lost


Source: Walter Pardon, album A Country Life, or Voice of The People, vol 14: Troubles They Are But Few