Lyr Add: The War in Afghanistan - a New Song

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The War in Afghanistan - a New Song
From: OlgaJ
Date: 15 Oct 09 - 10:59 AM

I don't think its a bad song and I certainly don't disagree with the sentiments. I've also recently written a song for my son to sing about the problems in Afghanistan, taken from a slightly different angle to yours. Most folk club audiences like it, but sometimes there is a delayed reaction because I suspect it makes people think. Steve likes it and has put it on i-tunes, it is also going on What's the Points next CD. You can find it on i-tunes under Steve Jackson. The song is called The Poppy and the War. I can't give you a link as I'm not very good with digital things but I will ask him if I can post the lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The War in Afghanistan - a New Song
From: GUEST,Dani
Date: 15 Oct 09 - 10:36 AM

Or, you have made them stop and think hard...

Dani

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The War in Afghanistan - a New Song
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Oct 09 - 08:42 AM

Jake-

It's a difficult subject to deal with but keep working on it.

Maybe the song would have more power if it were in the first person, as if sung by a loved one or one of his mates.

Charley Noble

Subject: Lyr Add: The War in Afghanistan - a New Song
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 14 Oct 09 - 04:40 PM

Here is a song I wrote recently about the war in Afghanistan and our governments failure to adequately support our troops with the equipment they have so obviously needed from the beginning.
The death toll is now 221 and rising with no sign of a satisfactory conclusion.
Below the words is an ABC of the tune I first used although that has morphed into something else by now!

I must admit that the few times I have sung it the audiences seem a bit uncomfortable with it. Soo, it's either a bad song or they disagree with it!!

regards
Jake

**********************************************************************
                The Prime Minister Regrets
                           or
                  The Death of Tommy Atkins

                      by Jake Wade

The Prime Minister regrets to say, another soldier died
Defending Peace and Freedom in Afghanistan today
His parents were informed and his regiment they mourn,
For the death of Private Tommy Atkins far away.

The politicians tell us our security's at risk
From Al-qaeda and the Taliban and all such terrorists
So they sent our boys to fight them, in far off, foreign lands
To pacify the Taliban, on Afghan's burning sands

They sent our boys out there to fight, it's what our boys do best
Without their bits of basic kit, without their armoured vests
Without the helicopters to keep them well supplied
And evacuate the wounded, from Afghan's burning sands

They send them out in coffins packaged ready for the blast
Of the roadside bomb, the IED, each patrol might be their last
But those ministers in Whitehall just don't seem to understand
The need for decent armour plate on Afghan's burning sands

A medal for the widow and a scroll to help recall
Memories of a life cut short, to hang upon the wall
Forever a reminder, of just what might have been
Had he not died beneath the sun on Afghan's burning sands

The people stand behind the men that stand behind the guns,
They came from us, belong to us, they are our mother's sons.
But those blinkered fools that lead us, now have blood upon their hands
From their foolish intervention upon Afghan's burning sands

If we could win this war with spin, we'd have won it long ago
For we have the very best spin-meisters the world will ever know
They take the truth and turn it inside out and upside down
But there's no room for spin in the battle's din, on Afghan's burning sands

The prime Minister regrets to say, another soldier died
Defending Peace and Freedom in Afghanistan today
His parents were informed and his regiment they mourn,
For the death of Private Tommy Atkins far away.

**********************************
X:1
T:The Minister Regrets
T: or the Death of Tommy Atkins
C:Jake Wade. 09/2009
M:4/4
L:1/8
W:
W:
W:The Minister regrets to say, another soldier died
W:Defending Peace and Freedom in Afghanistan today
W:His parents were informed and his regiment they mourn,
W:For the death of Private Tommy Atkins far away.
W:
K:C
G2|A2_B2G2E2|F2E2D2C2|D2E2D2B,2|C6C2|
w:The Min-is-ter re-grets to say, an-oth-er sold-ier died. De-
C2G,2C2D2|E2G2G2A2|G2E2C2E2|D6E2|
w:fend-ing peace and free-dom in Af-ghan-is-tan to-day His
F2E2D2C2|D4C2B,2|A,2B,2C2A,2|(G,4G,4)|
w:Par-ents were in-formed and his reg-i-ment they mou-rn,
CDEG3|A2G2G2F2|E2C2E3D|C6:|
w: For the death of Pri-vate Tom-my At-kins far a-way
*********************************************************************