It's always interesting to see how a lyric changes.."the folk process", but I've found over the years that a lyric I've sweated blood over is always changed for the worse. A classic example is "Hey Sandy" recorded and published in his song book by Christy Moore..it's badly messed about and not improved. One group recorded a song of mine with one line changed that completely altered the meaning..and they never noticed.If what we have handed on from Anon is as bastardised as this, but over many generations then he/she must have been a lyrical genius greater than Shakespeare. However..here's the real lyric to compare with the one published on the site

Hello Hans Well hello Hans I was pasing so I stopped to say hello you don't know me and there's no reason now why you should ever know you died here, in some prison camp conditions weren't too bad was it a would Hans or maybe the shell shock sent you mad you were twenty that's what it says upon the stone I'm trying to imagine what it's like to die all alone at twenty, before you've had a chance to be half grown I was passing, so I stopped to say hello

Can you see the child Hans the little girl who laughs upon you're grave not yours Hans, not the ones you went to war to save see her Father he proudly picks her up and sits her down on your tombstone, to take photographs that he can show around he was a young boy at the very moment that you died maybe you had a little child to walk proudly by your side or a young wife who tried so very hard but still she cried can you see the little girl laugh on your grave

so goodbye Hans I'll maybe come again some other time because somehow that grave that's yours could easily be mine you see there's wars Hans men are trained to fight each other still it goes on Hans it always has, it seems it always will so I must go now, the young men milling round are making so much noise and as you rememeber, when they're together boys will always just be boys unlike you Hans, they've never been a country's broken toys so goodbye I'll maybe come again some other time