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The White Feather Brigade

Tony Smith
Language: English




The enemy troops use bayonets and gas
And friendliness they never feign
But they could learn a lot about hate
From the White Feather Brigade
The White Feather Brigade
The White feather Brigade
But they could learn a lot about hate
From the White Feather Brigade

They strike on the tram or the train
They’re out in sunlight and rain
Could be by day or even by night
In their work they really delight
The women who are on this trip
With self-righteous anger they drip
Whenever they see a service age man
Without a rifle to hand

The White Feather Brigade (2)
Whenever they see a service age man
Without a rifle to hand

Bill Brown lived next door to me
A less soldierly man you’d never see
But he enlisted that fateful day
The postman brought the feather of shame
Six months later he was bound for the war
But his was a very short tour
In the landing barge a sniper put paid
To this victim of the feather brigade

The White Feather Brigade (2)
In the landing barge a sniper put paid
To this victim of the feather brigade

A pretty young girl of nineteen
Feathered a veteran on leave
But he had got one before
So he’d seen plenty of gore
She told him his duty to do
He told her about running Turks through
Sobbing the girl sped away from that man
Shedding white feathers she ran

The White Feather Brigade (2)
Sobbing the girl sped away from that man
Shedding white feathers she ran

Most serving troops voted ‘No’
When Hughes tried to force men to go
But the feather brigade has no doubt
So nasty symbols it gives out
They give them to winners of the VC
Ignorant of their bravery
Some Diggers take them defiantly
And wear them in soiled pugarees

The enemy troops use bayonets and gas
And friendliness they never feign
But they could learn a lot about hate
From the White Feather Brigade
The White Feather Brigade
The White feather Brigade
But they could learn a lot about hate
From the White Feather Brigade (3)



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