Rosalyn,
I saw your reference to Harvey Andrews, the writer and singer. I have most of his albums, a very insightful man indeed! I guess "The Soldier" will always be his best known work, it's downloadable on Audiogalaxy.
Here's the lyrics: The Soldier In a station in the city, a British soldier stood Talking to the people there, if the people would Some just stared in hatred and others turned in pain And the lonely British soldier, wished he was back home again 'Come join the British army' said the posters in his town 'See the world and have your fun, come serve before the Crown' The jobs were hard to come by and he could not face the dole So he took his country's' shilling and enlisted on the roll But there was no fear of fighting, the Empire long was lost Just ten years in the army, getting paid for being bossed Then leave a man who's experienced, a man who's made the grade A medal and a pension, some memories and a trade Then came the call to Ireland as the call has come before Another bloody chapter in an endless Civil War The priests they stood on both sides, the priests they stood behind Another fight in Jesus' name, the blind against the blind The soldier stood between them, between the whistling stones And then the broken bottles, that led to broken bones The petrol bombs that burned his hand, the nails that pierced his skin And wished that he had stayed at home surrounded by his kin The station filled with people, the soldier soon was bored But better in the station than where the people warred The room filled up with mothers, with daughters and with sons Who stared with itchy fingers at the soldier and his guns A yell of fear, the screech of brakes, a shattering of glass The window of the station broke to let the package pass The scream came from the mothers as they ran toward the door Dragging children crying from the bomb upon the floor The soldier stood and could not move, his gun he could not use He knew the bomb had seconds left, not minutes on the fuse He could not pick it up and throw it on the street There were far too many people there, too many running feet 'Take cover' yelled the soldier, 'take cover for your lives' And the Irishmen threw down their young and stood before there wives They turned toward the soldier, their eyes alive with fear 'For God's sake, save our children or they'll end their short lives here' The soldier moved towards the bomb, his stomach like a stone 'Why was this his battle, God, why was he alone?' He lay down on the package and he murmured one farewell To those at home in England, to those he loved so well He saw the sights of summer, felt the wind upon his brow The young girls in the city park, how precious were they now The soaring of the swallow, the beauty of the swan The music of the turning earth, so soon it would be gone The muffled soft explosion and the room began to quake The soldier blown across the floor, his blood a crimson lake They never heard him cry or shout, they never heard him moan And they turned their children's' faces from the blood and from the bone The crowds outside soon gathered, and the ambulances came To carry off the body of a pawn lost to the game And the crowd they clapped and jeered, and they sang their rebel songs One soldier less to interfere where he did not belong And will the children growing up, learn at their mothers knee The story of the soldier who bought their liberty Who used his youthful body as the means towards an end Who gave his life to those, who called him 'murderer' not 'friend'
Song by Harvey Andrews
Englishman.