Boots!
by Rudyard Kipling
We're foot—slog—slog—slog—sloggin' over Africa
Foot—foot—foot—foot—sloggin' over Africa
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up and down again!)
There's no discharge in the war!
Seven—six—eleven—five—nine—an'—twenty mile to—day
—
Four—eleven—seventeen—thirty—two the day before #
Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up and down again!)
There's no discharge in the war!
Don't—don't—don't—don't—look at what's in front of you.
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again);
Men—men—men—men—men go mad with watchin' 'em,
An' there's no discharge in the war!
Count—count—count—count—the bullets in the bandoliers.
If—your—eyes—drop—they will get atop o' you!
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up and down again)
There's no discharge in the war!
Try—try—try—try—to think o' something different
—
Oh—my—God—keep—me from goin' lunatic!
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again!)
There's no discharge in the war!
We—can—stick—out—'unger, thirst, an' weariness,
But—not—not—not—not the chronic sight of 'em
—
Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again,
An' there's no discharge in the war!
'Tain`t—so—bad—by—day because o' company,
But night—brings—long—strings—o' forty thousand million
Boots
—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again
There's no discharge in the war!
I—'ave—marched—six—weeks in 'Ell an' certify
It—is—not—fire—devils, dark, or anything,
But boots—boots—boots—boots—movin'up an' down again,
An' there's no discharge in the war!
Having been a foot slogger myself (3RRF) I can relate somewhat to the sentiments of the poem.
I can still remember 'Boots. Denims and PT vest' which we recited each morning before going on our run during training. And, though it wasn''t hindred of miles on those occasions, it felt like it!
