A butcher yes that was my trade
But the king's shilling is now my fee
A butcher I may as well have stayed
For the slaughter that I see

And the preacher in his pulpit
Sermon: "Go and fight, do what is right"
But he don't have to hear these guns
And I'll bet he sleeps at night

And I
And I can't stop shaking
My hands won't stop shaking
My arms won't stop shaking
My mind won't stop shaking
I want to go home
Please let me go home
Go home

And I have seen a friend of mine
Hang on the wire
Like some rag toy
Then in the heat the flies come down
And cover up the boy
And the flies come down in
Gommecourt, Thiepval,
Mametz Wood, and French Verdun
If the preacher he could see those flies
Wouldn't preach for the sound of guns

And I
And I can't stop shaking
My hands won't stop shaking
My arms won't stop shaking
My mind won't stop shaking
I want to go home
Please let me go home
Go home


Lyrics submitted by xJoeBoothx

Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) Lyrics as written by C. White

Lyrics © MARQUIS SONGS USA

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Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) song meanings
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    General Comment

    Chris White wrote this song and also sings it, which is kind of unusual. Colin Blunstone wanted to sing it but didn't like it the at the time it came out. An influence to the song was '1941 New York Mining Disaster' by the Bee Gees. The original title should have been 'Western Front 1916' but it was misprinted as 'Western Front 1914' on the album. 1916 is when the battle took place during the first world war. As a single, this song bombed unfortunately.

    planetearthon January 18, 2005   Link

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