This is how it goes:
Colonel comes to your cell
all reason logic: Well
you’ve made your point
no need to be stubborn
there’s a good chap
Or one day they gathers up
a host of us
takes us in trucks to the docks
ship us to France
Put on your uniform
But why should they ask me
to put on a uniform
I ain’t got no quarrel
with the people of Germany
~
Then when I says no
the Colonel says
What I’m going to do is
bring in the Corp’ral as witness
and give you an order
sometimes we talks about God
they say The Bishop agrees with it
but the Bishop ain’t God
No doubt you’ll refuse
and that’ll be grounds
for court-martial
He says, you could be shot
and they shows us the guns
but I ain’t got no quarrel
with the Vietcong
~
My pacifism has plenty of testing
and they say we’re deserters
cowards and such
Put on your uniform
but when you’re standing
in that courtyard
with the guns at your chest
ideas are very dangerous
permeate further than bullets
none of us blinks
Solidarity can’t have that
International Cooperation
can’t have that
And I ain’t got no quarrel
with the mothers of Iraq
~
And the Corp’ral comes in
with a smirk on his face
Sometimes they says
how can you have a conscience
if you ain’t got religion
but ain’t there a light in everyone
never goes out even in Corp’rals
and the Colonel says ‘Shun!
the world is my country
so I just sits down
and there are just grounds
and when you’re back
from the firing squads (sentence
commuted) we’ll not sleep sound
in lousy beds damp sheets
2 days No.1. P. Diet
Still I ain’t got no quarrel
with the folks abroad
never put me in cell
for not wearing uniform
Steve Waling
Illustration Nick Victor