Digital Tradition Mirror

This Great War

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Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

This Great War

I just received a telegram
  From General Leonard Wood;
Says, "Bring your gunboats up the creek
  We'll do the Moros good
We're going to war, a glorious war."

"And bring along Doctor Munson
  Of whom I've heard it said,
He'll kill more Moros with his pills
  Than we can kill with lead,
In any war, you ever saw:"

"And bring along Mr. Robards,
  Oh bring him without fail,
He killed ten thousand Moros
  On the Almadeyo trail;
In that great war, that glorious war."
When General Wood, he came on board
 And made us feel like sheep,
In that great war, that glorious war.

Says he, "Good morning, Captain,
 You've used me mighty well,
Now take your damned old ferryboat
 And shove right off to Hell,
We're going to war, a glorious war."

"We don't like your marines,
  They're first in every war,
They beat us to Guantanamo,
  But we're going to beat them now,
To this great war, this glorions war"

They're jealous of the Navy
 Which always leads the van,
Without our trusty gunners,
They could never land a man,
In any war, they ever saw.

We're up at five in the mornin;
 And work till God knows when,
Breakin' rocks and haulin' dirt,
 To save the army men,
In this great war, this glorlous war.

Next time the Army wants us
 To lead them far from home,
We'll tell them to go plumb to Hell,
 We've troubles of our own,
We're going to war, a glorious war.

From The Book of Navy Songs, USNA
Note: from the Philippine Insurrection 1899
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!