Lyr Req: A dying soldier

Subject: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: GUEST,Martin
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 07:37 AM

I think this song comes from the First World War and I only have mixed up snippets of the chorus. It goes something like this:-
Take the ramrod from out of my backbone
Take the trigger guard out of my brain
Take the firing pin out of my kidney
And assemble my rifle again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: Snuffy
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 09:06 AM

THE DYING AIRMAN is in the DT Database

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 11:09 AM

For the record, "Dying Airman" isn't the same as the song above, but they're certainly related. We have a large number of airman songs in the DT, and don't have the footsoldier counterparts. Was Greenhaus a flyboy in a past life?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: GUEST,999
Date: 09 Sep 12 - 08:35 PM

TAKE THE TRIGGER GUARD OUT OF MY KIDNEYS
TAKE THE MAGAZINE OUT OF MY BRAIN
TAKE THE BARREL OUT OF MY BACK BONE
AND ASSEMBLE MY RIFLE AGAIN

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: GUEST,#
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 05:21 PM

https://docplayer.net/202184023-Old-soldier-a-one-act-play-rob-davis-no-royalties-are-required-beyond-a-couple-of-free-tickets-for-a-performance.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: cnd
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 05:49 PM

From #'s link. Seems to be a a play titled "Old Soldier: a One Act Play by Rob Davis"

(There is a pause as gets up and walks to the cabinet. He looks furtively around to see if is watching, sees that she is nowhere in sight, and delves into the cabinet drawers, fetching out a bottle of whisky and three glasses. He returns with them, pours a measure into each glass, and passes one to and before taking one himself. They clink glasses without comment, raise their glasses to each other and drink a toast)

(As they drink, he starts to sing, softly at first, then full and confidently, to the tune of Here's To The Next Man To Die [aka The Eton Boating Song])

As the old Serjeant-Major lay dying
And there on his death-bed he lay,
His comrades all gathered around him
To hear of the last words he'd say.

Take the trigger-guard out of my kidneys,
take the magazine out of my brain;
take the barrel from out of my backbone
and assemble my rifle again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: cnd
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 05:49 PM

From http://messybeast.com/dragonqueen/bold-aviator.htm

THE BOLD AVIATOR LAY DYING
(Second World War version, trad)
Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

Oh, the bold aviator was dying
And as 'neath the wreckage he lay, he lay
To the sobbing mechanics about him
These last parting words he did say

"Take the cylinders out of my kidneys
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain
From the small of my back get the crankshaft
And assemble the engine again"

Two valve springs you’ll find in my stomach,
Three spark plugs are safe in my lung, my lung,
The prop is in splinters inside me,
To my fingers the joy-stick has clung.

Take the propeller boss out of my liver,
Take the aileron out of my thigh, my thigh,
From the seat of my pants take the piston,
Then see if the old crate will fly.

alternatively:

The young aviator lay dying
And as in the hangar he lay
To the mechanics who 'round him were standing
These last parting words he did say:

"Take the cylinders out of my kidneys,
And the connecting rod out of my brain,
From out of my *rse take the crankshaft,
And assemble the engine again."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: cnd
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 05:53 PM

Another air based version.

From U.S. Air Force Parodies Based upon "The Dying Hobo" by William Wallrich [Western Folklore
Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct., 1954), pp. 236-244]

The next version, "A Poor Aviator Lay Dying," is also vintage of World War I. It was collected in January, 1944, in Diss, England, from Gordon Seider, ex-RAF fighter pilot who lost a leg in the Battle of Britain. Gordon, at the time I knew him, was with air field construction liaison between the British and American forces. He stated that he learned the song from the American volunteers who came over to fight in the RAF prior to America's entry into the war. This version, to my knowledge, was not picked up and sung by men of the 8th Air Force stationed in England, but Seider said it was remembered and still sung at times by the RAF.

A POOR AVIATOR LAY DYING

A poor aviator lay dying,
At the end of a bright summer day;
His comrades had gathered around him,
To carry his pieces away.

The aircraft was stacked on his wishbone,
His machine gun was wrapped 'round his head;
A sparkplug he wore on each elbow,
It was plain he'd quickly be dead.
He spit out a valve and some gaskets,

And stirred in the sump where he lay;
To mechanics who 'round him came sighing,
These are the brave words he did say:
"Take the magneto out of my stomach,

And the butterfly valve off my neck;
Tear from my liver the crankshaft-
There's a lot of good parts in this wreck.
"Take the manifold out of my left eye,

And the cylinders out of my brain;
Take the piston rods out of my kidneys,
And assemble the engine again."

The RAF version was generally called "A Handsome Young Airman," with the first verse as follows:

A handsome young airman lay dying,
And as on the airdrome he lay,
To mechanics who round him came sobbing,
These last parting words he did say: etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: cnd
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 05:59 PM

Multiple air force versions of the song have been posted on Mudcat already:
link 1
link 2

Additionally, a version from the Korean War can be found elsewhere under the titles "Bosom Buddies" or "Bozzin' Buddies" (link and link). I've seen it in two places but both are raw OCR with a few questionable errors.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: RTim
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 06:03 PM

THE DYING SOLDIER - Copper Family
         
The battle it was over and the stars did brightly shine
The moon shone o'er the dying and the dead
And not a sound was heard
Save the scream of some wild bird
As it fluttered round the dying soldier's head
And on that spot there lay one
Who'd nobly fought that day
His comrade true to him was standing near
And with an anguished sigh
To his comrade gently cried
And with his hand he wiped away a tear.
Chorus:
Then he whispered goodbye to his comrade so dear
His head upon his knapsack gently laid
If you live to get home you can tell them I am gone
I'm lying in a British solder's grave.

Oh don't you remember that dear old oak tree
With my knife I cut my name out in the bark
And early in the morn I have reaped the golden corn
And listened to the warbling of the lark
That dear old shady spot it shall never be forgot
For 'twas there I used to meet the girl I love
Tell her not to cry for I'll meet her bye and bye
In a bright and a better land above.

Tell my aged mother that she's not to weep for me
For in the battle I took a noble part
Break it gently to her all the news my comrade dear
I feel that it will almost break her heart
Tell my sister too I have kept the gift so dear
In parting which she fondly gave to me
Although I still possess it I have stained with my life's blood
This dear locket was a parting gift to me.

I feel that I am dying and my breath is going fast
Just raise me up once more that I might see
The moon that give us light
And the watch-fires burning bright
And my comrades as happy as can be
There now goodbye he cried he then fell back and died
Beloved by all so noble and so brave
And early the next day he beneath the turf did lay
In a rude but a British soldier's grave.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: Mo the caller
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 06:55 AM

There's also one (from the Spanish Civil war??) where he makes a will

....
send my father the watch that he gave me
Tell my brother to ????*
Send my love little yellow roses

Haunting tune.

* Come out here and fight (I forget the phrasing)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: Mo the caller
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 06:58 AM

Little yellow Roses

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 09:29 AM

Hi, Tim
Why have you added in a version of The British Soldier's Grave to this thread please? Are the 2 songs linked in some way?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: RTim
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 09:48 AM

I have always called it The Dying Soldier...?? As do the Copper Family where I got the song..?? Roud 1223.

Tim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: cnd
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 09:51 AM

Tim, I believe the confusion here is that it appears to be a different song than the one discussed above -- two songs by the same name, with the "British" prefix added to differentiate the two

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: Mo the caller
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 12:30 PM

It may be a different song, but it may also be the song that someone opening the thread is expecting.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A dying soldier
From: GUEST,Tom Gay
Date: 19 Mar 24 - 04:26 PM

There was a bit about a jungle but I don’t remember it, I think it was like “as he lay at the edge of the jungle” but I don’t fully remember