Текст песни No Man's Land / Flowers of the Forest (June Tabor) с переводом

Well, how do you do, Private William McBride?

Do you mind if I sit down here by your graveside?

And rest for awhile in the warm summer sun

I’ve been walking all day, and I’m nearly done

And I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen

When you joined the glorious fallen in 1916

Well, I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean

Or, Willam McBride, was it slow and obscene?

Did they beat the drum slowly?

Did they sound the pipe lowly?

Did the rifles fire o’er you as they lowered you down?

Did the bugles sing «The Last Post» in chorus?

Did the pipes play «The Flowers of the Forest»?

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind?

In some loyal heart is your memory enshrined?

And though you died back in 1916

To that faithful heart are you always nineteen?

Or are you just a stranger without even a name

Forever enclosed behind some glass pane

In an old photograph, torn and tattered and stained

And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame?

Did they beat the drum slowly?

Did they sound the pipe lowly?

Did the rifles fire o’er you as they lowered you down?

Did the bugles sing «The Last Post» in chorus?

Did the pipes play «The Flowers of the Forest»?

Well, the sun it shines down on these green fields of France

The warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance

The trenches have vanished now under the plow

No gas and no barbed wire, no guns firing now

But here in this graveyard it’s still No Man’s Land

And the countless white crosses in mute witness stand

To man’s blind indifference to his fellow man

And a whole generation who were butchered and damned

4. And I can’t help but wonder now, Willie McBride

Do all those who lie here know why they died?

Did you really believe them when they told you 'The Cause?'

Did you really believe that this war would end wars?

Well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame

The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain

For Willie McBride, it all happened again

And again, and again, and again, and again

Well how do you do, young Willie McBride

Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside

And rest for a while 'neath the warm summer sun

I’ve been working all day and I’m nearly done

I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen

When you joined the dead heroes of nineteen-sixteen

I hope you died well and I hope you died clean

Or Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene

Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly

Did they sound the dead-march as they lowered you down

Did the bugles play the Last Post and chorus

Did the pipes play the 'Flooers o' the Forest'

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind

In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined

Although you died back there in nineteen-sixteen

In that faithful heart are you ever nineteen

Or are you a stranger without even a name

Enclosed and forgotten behind the glass frame

In a old photograph, torn and battered and stained

And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame

The sun now it shines on the green fields of France

The warm summer breeze makes the red poppies dance

And look how the sun shines from under the clouds

There’s no gas, no barbed wire, there’s no guns firing now

But here in this graveyard it’s still no-man's-land

The countless white crosses stand mute in the sand

To man’s blind indifference to his fellow man

To a whole generaation that were butchered and damned

Now young Willie McBride I can’t help but wonder why

Do all those who lie here know why they died

And did they believe when they answered the cause

Did they really believe that this war would end wars

Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain

The killing and dying was all done in vain

For young Willie McBride it all happened again

And again, and again, and again, and again

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