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Tap o‘ the Drum

J

jrhume

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Tap o' the Drum

Drums roll an' thunder,
my troop forms in the yard.
Blood red dawn marches in -
in with the Corporal an' guard.

All stand fast at the tap o' the drum,
I march to the halter an' hangman.
Nine years a soldier, stripes torn away.
I bayoneted the Captain!

I'll hang for that death without regret,
for I caught him with Sally 'o mine.
Half blind with rage, I stabbed the man twice,
an' killed her as she wept for the swine!

A steady tap o' the drum draws me on,
I march to the gallows an' hangman.
Nine years a soldier, stripes torn away,
I bayoneted the Captain!


© JR Hume, February, 2002

This one was an attempt to write a poem in the style of Rudyard Kipling, whose military poetry is still well worth reading.
 
That‘s good. Almost reads like the lyrics to some period folk song.
 
Just reading this now... Great stuff. Danjanou‘s right, it sounds like it should be an old marching tune or the like...

Thanks for posting it.
 
Originally posted by Danjanou:
[qb] That‘s good. Almost reads like the lyrics to some period folk song. [/qb]
Yeah I read it like that too, in the style that the Pogues play "The Recruiting Sergeant"

It‘s all really great stuff I read from you, do you have a website or anything?
 
Thanks for the good comments.

My website is: www.jrhume.com

The work there needs updating. I‘ll try to do that within the next few weeks.

:)
Jim
 
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