After 1914
Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire
| Tune: | Original |
| Lyrics: | Unknown |
If you want to find the sergeant,
I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want to find the sergeant,
I know where he is,
He’s lying on the canteen floor.
I’ve seen him, I’ve seen him,
Lying on the canteen floor,
I’ve seen him,
Lying on the canteen floor.
If you want to find the quarter-bloke,
I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want to find the quarter-bloke,
I know where he is,
He’s miles and miles behind the line.
I’ve seen him, I’ve seen him,
Miles and miles behind the line,
I’ve seen him,
Miles and miles and miles behind the line.
If you want to find the sergeant-major
I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want to find the sergeant-major,
I know where he is,
He’s boozing up the privates’ rum.
I’ve seen him, I’ve seen him,
Boozing up the privates’ rum,
I’ve seen him,
Boozing up the privates’ rum.
If you want to find the C.O.,
I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want to find the C.O.,
I know where he is,
He’s down in the deep dug-outs.
I’ve seen him, I’ve seen him,
Down in the deep dug-outs
I’ve seen him,
Down in the deep dug-outs.
If you want to find the old battalion,
I know where they are, I know where they are.
If you want to find the old battalion,
I know where they are,
They’re hanging on the old barbed wire.
I’ve seen ’em, I’ve seen ’em,
Hanging on the old barbed wire,
I’ve seen ’em,
Hanging on the old barbed wire.
In trench-warfare barbed wire trapped soldiers, making them easy targets for the gunners. Praised by J. B. Priestley as ‘genuine folk song, for the sardonic front-line troops’, the – easily adaptable – question and answer verses ask the whereabouts of various ranks. The Sergeant, ‘Quarter-Bloke’, and ‘C.O.’ have been seen indulging themselves some distance from the front line, while the ‘old battalion’ are spotted ‘hanging on the old barbed wire’.
| Cause: | Anti-militarist | Collectivist |
| Theme: | War and Peace |
| Addressed to: | Armed Forces | God |
| Target of Protest: | Bosses | Armed Forces |