Classic Poem

It's O to be in Flanders,
In Flanders,
In Flanders;
It's O to be in Flanders,
Where our brave soldiers are!

With love and hate and hellfire,
And hellfire,
And hellfire;
With love and hate and hellfire,
And sun and moon and star.

Our soldiers fight like devils,
Like devils,
Like devils;
Our soldiers fight like devils,
Then rest a day or two.

The wide-hipped girls of Flanders,
Of Flanders,
Of Flanders;
The laughing girls of Flanders,
They help them to pull through.

They help the girls at farming,
At farming,
At farming;
They help the girls at farming,
Those six-foot-odd galoots.

'Tis not for love of agri-
Of agri-
Of agri-
Not all for love of agri-
Cultural persoots.

(For I'm engaged in agri-
In agri-
In agri —
For I'm engaged in agri-
Cultural pursuits.)

Now there are lanes and hedges,
And hedges,
And hedges;
Now there are lanes and hedges,
And barns and other nooks.

And warm, soft nights in Flanders,
In Flanders,
In Flanders;
And warm soft nights in Flanders,
And cornfields full of spooks.

In fifteen years, or twenty,
Or twenty,
Or twenty;
In fifteen years, or twenty —
If I'm not dead,

I'll take a walk in Flanders,
In Flanders,
In Flanders;
I'll take a walk in Flanders
Before I go to bed.

I'll see a son of Flanders,
Of Flanders,
Of Flanders;
I'll see a son of Flanders
A-standing near the inn,

And through my spec's I'll know him,
I'll know him,
I'll know him;
And through my specks I'll know him —
I'll know him by his grin.

He'll have some words of English,
Of English,
Of English;
He'll have some words of English,
Of English — so they'll say.

And he will say " Gorblimy!
Gorblimy!
Gorblimy! "
And he will say " Gorblimy! "
And think it means " Good-day! "

He'll say the word for blanky,
For blanky,
For blanky;
He'll say the word for blanky,
And think it means " Good-night! "

And he will say the adverb,
The adverb,
The adverb;
He'll say our second swear-word,
And think it quite polite.

I'll get a priest to help us,
To help us,
To help us;
I'll get a priest to help us —
Interpret , as you know.

I'll croak: " I knowed yer father
Yer father,
Yer father; "
I'll croak: " I knowed yer father
In Australia long ago. "

He'll say I'm quite mistaken,
Mistaken,
(Mistaken!);
He'll say I'm quite mistaken,
(He'll say it through the priest.)

" My father was a Billjim,
A Billjim,
A Billjim;
My father was a Billjim,
And they came from the East. "

So then the priest, explaining,
Explaining,
Explaining;
So then the priest explaining,
In History well versed,

Will tell me that the Billjims,
The Billjims,
The Billjims;
Will tell me that the Billjims
Came out of Egypt first.

But, anyway, I'm certain,
I'm certain,
I'm certain;
But, anyway, I'm certain,
Along on History's track,

There'll be a king in Flanders,
In Flanders,
In Flanders;
There'll be a king in Flanders,
Whose fathers shore Outback.