E C#m A E The pilots playing poker in the cockpit of the plane C#m A F#m The casualties arriving like the dropping of the rain E C#m A B And a mountain of machinery will fall before a man E G#m A B E When you're white boots marching in a yellow land It's written in the ashes of the village towns we burn It's written in the empty bed of the fathers unreturned And the chocolate in the childrens eyes will never understand When you're white boots marching in a yellow land C#m Red blow the bugles of the dawn B The morning has arrived you must be gone A B And the lost patrol chase their chartered(*) souls E D Like cold/old(?) whores following tired armies Train them well, the men who will be fighting by your side And never turn your back if the battle turns the tide For the colours of a civil war are louder than commands When you're white boots marching in a yellow land Blow them from the forest and burn them from your sight Tie their hands behind their back and question through the night But when the firing squad is ready they'll be spitting where they stand At the white boots marching in a yellow land Red blow the bugles of the dawn The morning has arrived you must be gone And the lost patrol chase their chartered souls Like cold whores following tired armies The comic and the beauty queen are dancing on the stage Raw recruits are lining up like coffins in a cage We're fighting in a war we lost before the war began We're the white boots marching in a yellow land And the lost patrol chase their chartered souls like cold whores following tired armiesHere is the version he sang on WBAI (New York) in 1965 (thanks to Roger Peek):
The swamps are turning red along the fevered jungle days Their casualties are counted in so many different ways For the killing of a soldier is the murder of a man When you're white boots marching in a yellow land It's written in the ashes of the village towns we burn It's written in the empty chairs of fathers unreturned And the hatred in the children's eyes is clear to understand When you're white boots marching in a yellow land Flush them from the forest 'til you're sure they all are gone Tie their hands behind their backs and question them 'til dawn But when the firing squad is ready they'll be spitting where they stand At the white boots marching in a yellow land Helicopters hound the skies and circle in the night And lead the boys to victory in a thousand little fights But every battle won is just another grain of sand When you're white boots marching in a yellow land Oh the brave bombs of the wealthy will shatter as they shine But the bloodiest of course can only buy a little time And history is waiting for the very best of plans By the white boots marching in a yellow land Centuries of colonies of slavery and worse Now lead us to a future of their past all in reverse Yes we're fighting in a war we lost before that war began For we're white boots marching in a yellow land
(*) There has been confusion about this word. The word "chartered" is what is in the song books, and makes sense with the meaning "hired", "paid for".
Last modified 20 Dec 98 by trent