F
They disembarked in 45,
Bb
And no-one spoke and no-one smiled
C F
There were to many spaces in the line.
Gathered at the cenotaph
Bb
All agreed with the hand on heart,
C F
To sheath the sacrificial knives.
F
But now, she stands upon Southampton dock
Bb
With her handkerchief
C
And her summer frock, clings
F
To her wet body in the rain.
In quiet desperation, knuckles
Bb
White upon the slippery reins
C F
She bravely waves the boys goodbye again.
[Verse 2]
Bb Bbm F
Mm
Bb
And still the dark stain spreads between
F
their shoulder blades.
Bb F F7 Gm7
A mute reminder of the poppy fields and graves.
F7 Bb C Dm7 C7/E
And when the fight was over
F Am7 Dm
We spent what they had made.
Gm7
But in the bottom of our hearts
F
We felt the final cut.
