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Tender Comrade Lyrics

What will you do when the war is over, tender comrade
When we lay down our weary guns
When we return home to our wives and families
And look into the eyes of our sons
What will you say of the bond we had, tender comrade
Will you say that we were brave
As the shells fell all around us
Or that we wept and cried for our mothers
And cursed our fathers
For forgetting that all men are brothers

Will you say that we were heroes
Or that fear of dying among strangers
Tore our innocence and false shame away
And from that moment on deep in my heart i knew
That i would only give my life for love

Brothers in arms in each other arms
Was the only time that i was not afraid
What will you do when the war is over, tender comrade
When we cast off these khaki clothes
And go our separate ways
What will you say of the bond we had
Tender comrade
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Cover art for Tender Comrade lyrics by Billy Bragg

i am a thousand shocked that nobody has commented on this song. lyrically, its beautiful. sung without any instruments or backing; chilling. heavy use of personification (weary guns). observes something that many people dont think about, what happens to a soldier after the war. i could go on but cbf. pretty obvious what its about.

@mezpez I had a book named The sorrow of war, it was about a solder after war, returning to his life and love. it was one of the most honest stories about a war. here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorrow_of_War

@mezpez I was just reading the obituary forNorma Barzman, a blacklisted screenwriter in the 40s. It mentioned that she said a quote for "Tender Comrades." And of course I said to myself, that's a Billy Bragg song. So I looked it up and it is a wartime movie about very different wives left behind. When their husbands go to serve, who end up living together despite their differences. Then I see it was written by none other than Dalton Trumbo, another blacklisted screenwriter. Where Billy's title fits in with the title of this movie, I will have to research further to...

Cover art for Tender Comrade lyrics by Billy Bragg

Great song ... Just posted it to the Veterans for Peace page. Love Billy Bragg ... to hell with fascists.

@agree, WisconsinBrad