A Bob A Bloody Day, by The Living Archive Band

A Bob A Bloody Day

by The Living Archive Band

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Full Digital Discography

6

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of A Bob A Bloody Day, Calverton: Songs from 'The Horse & the Tractor', The Horse and the Tractor- a Radio Ballad, All That's Changed vol 2, All That's Changed vol 1, and Real Lives. , and , .

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1.	Lord Kitchener 01:06	lyrics	buy track
Lord Kitchener J Cunningham Lord Kitchener asked the country for One hundred thousand men Whose loyal hearts would take them to The fire and back again. Many watched the lads go off And many more they cheered, But those who thought of duty To Old England volunteered. Oh do you want to stay at home And go to work each day, Or cross to France and join the fight To make the enemy pay? You’re proud to wear the khaki And proud to be a man. You’ll march and fight and fight and march- You would die before you ran.
2.	Song of the Recruits 03:20	lyrics	buy track
Song of the Recruits J Cunningham Quick, let’s get our tickets for the show! It’ll be over by next Christmas Day. The others will have a jolly good laugh at us if we never go, They’ll march about with their medals on, The girls will kiss them one by one, Better drink up quick, we’re joining right away. Chorus: Oh, we love our army Khaki shirts Goodbye to mucky old civvy street The Kaiser’s going to feel our feet ‘Cos we’re going to kick him where it hurts. Look at all the handsome swaggering lads Lining up to fight for God and King. Their country has invited them, they answer with one voice: We’re not afraid of the beastly Hun We’re worried that we’ll miss the fun, While we’re waiting here, we can stand and sing- Chorus Mr.Thomas is a swanky city gent. Look at his suit, it’s made in Saville Row But when he’s a brand new Tommy and to battle he is sent, He’ll march across in his bowler hat, And ask the Bosch what they’re playing at, They’ll be so flabbergasted they’ll pack their bags and go- Chorus Johnny’s off a Buckinghamshire farm With a nut-brown face and muscles in their prime. You’ll feel a piece of iron if he’s asked to present his arm. His scythe is not for cutting grass, It’s as sharp as a piece of shattered glass, When he mows those Germans down, they’ll know he’s Father Time- Chorus Factory lad is here and he’s Jack Bull, He’s sweated hard, he’s proud he never shirks. With just a thousand Jack’s in the pack the Army would be full. He learned to fight in Wolverton town. His strike will knock the blighters down And in hand-to-hand he’ll throw a spanner in the works Chorus Oh, we love our army Khaki shirts Goodbye to mucky old civvy street The Kaiser’s going to feel our feet ‘Cos we’re going to kick him where it, We’re going to kick him where it, We’re going to kick him where it hurts!
3.	In Memoriam 02:09	lyrics	buy track
In Memoriam Paul Clark If you take a wander down Church Street On a quiet afternoon, Past Nicholson’s shop and the GPO You get to old St George’s soon. Step inside the church let your eyes adjust, And stay a little while, And slowly read the list of names On the wall of the south aisle. Albert Abbott, Donald Cawes – You wonder who were they? Alfred Flint – how old was he When the War took him away? Henry King and Dennis Long – You’d like to ask them why They left the town of Wolverton To go to France to die. Was it love of country or fear of scorn That made them all enlist? Did each one think they’d survive the War, Did they think what they would miss? Did they have a clue what war’s about? What life’s like in a trench? Let’s look at one whose name’s marked down – Private Albert French.
4.	Violet's Song 02:02	lyrics	buy track
Violet’s Song J Cunningham I met him on a Saturday, he looked smart in his uniform, We strolled along Church Street with his sister May. He didn’t talk much but said his name was Albert, Could he walk with me on Sunday? I said certainly, for my heart was a little wobbly. We said goodbye on Sunday, I asked him for a photograph I think that maybe I was a little bold. You don’t have very much time when you’re a soldier So I’ll send him off a letter, He will write to me, for my heart is a little wobbly. He’s learning to fight somewhere south of Aldershot, It won’t be long now before he’s as the front. I hope he’s on leave again, I hope he’s home for Christmas. When this blessed war is done We’ll have a chance to see why my heart is a little wobbly.
5.	Dad's Song 01:46	lyrics	buy track
Dad’s Song J Cunningham How’s he sticking it? I tried to get him out of it, I couldn’t believe it – he’s only sixteen. Tomorrow the real men go off to war again My eldest lad is far too green He never asked me before he went away Didn’t he think a father has a say? The upper-ups started it, we have to suffer it, My young son doesn’t know what it means. Now he’s a fighting man He’ll do the best he can. It might have been me if I wasn’t too old. He’s going to get a stripe, Albert is just the type, He learned from me to do as he’s told. He might go higher if he has some luck- No-one can treat a General like muck. They’ll put epaulettes on him, I pin my hopes on him, But when I stop to think, my blood runs cold. When I stop to think, my blood runs cold.
6.	Parapet Song 03:22	lyrics	buy track
The Parapet Song Paul Clark I sit on the parapet, day is a-breaking, I sit and I wonder, is Jerry awake? I’d love to peek over, see sun at its waking, But snipers are quick if you make a mistake. Back in the town where I was born People are stirring this midsummer’s morn. They have no cause to fear someone waiting to shoot them, It’s only dawn’s chill makes them shiver or shake. When Kitchener pointed his forefinger at me I took up the challenge, went off to enlist. Barracks and square-bashing didn’t deter me, Of the life I had left there was little I’d missed. I hadn’t seen troops take a shell’s direct hit – Bullets and barbed wire that tear men to bits. Now the life of a soldier looks different to me I don’t play the hero, just try to exist. When I close my eyes I see all the old places – The great carriage works stretching out Stratford way, And half of my friends there, I see their tired faces As they come through the gates at the end of the day. The places we walked, the tow-path, the track – Half of me wishes that I could be back there, But there’s no use wishing what simply can’t happen, I’m here till it’s over, and done come what may.
7.	Rest and Relief 02:12	lyrics	buy track
Rest & Relief J Cunningham You spend your five days in the line, boys, Up to your knees in the mud. Eating your cold bully beef, boys You’d pray for a hot steaming spud. Two hours on duty and four in the dugout You hide yourself deep in the dirt. Mud in your puttees and mud in your blanket And lice in the seams of your shirt. You spend you five days in the line, Blimey, you long for a spell of relief. First you wade down Piccadilly, Then you slosh through Leicester Square Five miles and your knees may be chilly But in Hyde Park there’s a cosy deckchair. And if a coalbox don’t end all your troubles You might even reach Plugstreet Wood. Lie on your groundsheet, your feet in your greatcoat And dream you’re in Blighty for good. Wake up for a good game of brag Blimey, it’s good to be back on relief. What’s best is a rest in a village Sleeping at night in the straw The champagne you get given ain’t vintage But it’s cheap and it’s far from the war. Fried egg and sausage and chips and a bottle There’s only just ten pence to pay When you go on a binge in a tavern or bar Don’t you feel bad the next day No matter, it’s rest and relief Blimey, you’ll soon be back gritting your teeth.
8.	Ambulance Train 05:14	lyrics	buy track
The Wolverton Ambulance Train (The Khaki Train Song) J Cunningham Now people who know about Wolverton May ask what we’ve done for the war- Well many of our lads are over in France And we haven’t been asleep on the floor. Come and see our new ambulance train, Latest invention of the engineer’s brain. There’s a cross on the roof and it’s painted in khaki They only missed one thing – and that was a bar! The train has sixteen long vehicles, It measures some nine hundred feet. Its three hundred and sixty two patients and staff Will enjoy ‘lectric light and steam heat. Come and see our new ambulance train Latest invention of the engineer’s brain There’s a cooler to freeze cheese for the guard, To keep down infection the seats are all hard, Cross on the roof and it’s painted in khaki, They only missed one thing – and that was a bar! There are cars for the laying-down wounded, And two for infectious disease. A personnel car, a staff car, a couple of kitchens For mutton and hot mushy peas. Come and see our new ambulance train, Latest invention of the engineer’s brain, There’s a cooler to freeze cheese for the guard, To keep down infection the seats are all hard, Cross on the roof and it’s painted in khaki, They only missed one thing – and that was a bar! The inside is of white enamel So dirt won’t collect anywhere, And there’s not one corner the length of the train So a spider would die of despair. Come and see our new ambulance train, Latest invention of the engineer’s brain, Somewhere to spit and stub out your cigar, Cheese for the guard but the seats are all hard, Cross on the roof and it’s painted in khaki, They only missed one thing – and that was a bar! The pharmacy car will impress you With its medical comforts store. There’s an office for the officer And a drawer for his drawers, And a treatment compartment next door. Come and see our new ambulance train, Latest invention of the engineer’s brain, There’s an operating table in the pharmacy car, Somewhere to spit and stub out your cigar, Cheese for the guard, but the seats are hard, Cross on the roof and it’s painted in khaki, They only missed one thing – and that was a bar! The staff car’s reserved for the doctors And the nurses that sleep in there too- But their beds are set at each end of the coach Fraternisation won’t do! Come and see our new ambulance train, Latest invention of the engineer’s brain, There’s separate quarters for nurses, don’t laugh- In the pharmacy car stub out your cigar, Cheese for the guard but the seats are all hard, Cross on the roof and it’s painted in khaki, They only missed one thing – and that was a bar! So our wounded will be treated in comfort In this field hospital upon rails. No more jolting and jumping and lurching and bumping- This is luxury in every detail. Come and see our new ambulance train, Latest invention of the engineer’s brain, It’s as good as the Ritz for the patients and staff, Separate quarters for nurses, don’t laugh- In the pharmacy car stub out your cigar, Cheese for the guard but the seats are all hard, Cross on the roof and it’s painted in khaki, They only missed one thing – and that was a bar!
9.	No Heroes, No Cowards 02:22	lyrics	buy track
No Heroes, No Cowards Paul Clark If you saw a soldier covered all in medals, If you asked, does being a hero feel so good? He’d as like as not reply, I’m not a hero and here’s why: I only did what I was told and what I should. Chorus: How about you folk out there, you people looking on? Are you heroes? Are you cowards? Could you say? If they stuck a rifle in your hands and marched you to a trench, Would you be brave or would you run the other way? If you saw a soldier standing in court-martial, Trying to make his cowardly actions understood, If you asked him why he ran, he’d say, I’m not an evil man, I came to give my best and did the best I could. Chorus So if you see a soldier walking down the High Street, With his khaki neatly pressed, just off the shelf, You can’t guess, don’t think you can, if he’s a brave or timid man, And it’s as like as not he doesn’t know himself. Chorus
10.	Do You Ever Think of England? 03:14	lyrics	buy track
Do You Ever Think of England? Rod Hall Do you ever think of England When it’s four on a shell-shocked morning? You try staying awake lad When your body cries for rest. You try thinking of heroes When the best friend that you ever had Is lying out in No-Man’s Land With a bullet in the chest. Chorus: Oh, I can still hear the brass band playing I can still see them singing and marching While they take young men off to war. Oh, if they really want to make me happy Then they’ve got to march me down From the top of this hill That they marched me up before. There’s a quiet place behind the lines Where crosses stand in row on row The list of missing and wounded Grows longer every day. Kitchener told us when we joined We’d be proud to hold our heads up high Don’t try doing that here, son, You’ll throw your life away. Chorus
11.	A Bob A Bloody Day 01:08	lyrics	buy track
A Bob a Bloody Day J Cunningham / Paul Clark Have you ever heard about the army rates of pay? Those in greatest danger have the least The officer will never get his bloomin’ trousers creased But the tommy gets a bob a bloody day. The man who is supposed to train me gets six bob or more And all he does is send me round the square. We’ve had two years of bloody hell, he’s never been out there, Cos pushing tommies round is what he’s for. There’s a local butcher and he’s sawing at a bone He’s exempt from call up for a while. British lads are bleeding and they’re doing it in style Watch him save his bacon back at home. What about the profiteer sitting by the fire Barbed wire is his business and his fare. He’s as safe as houses and we know he’ll never care About the soldier hanging on his wire.
12.	The Valley of the Shadow 02:57	lyrics	buy track
The Valley of the Shadow Paul Clark Our great attack had failed, we'd nothing left to give. The wounded hanging in the wire had little time to live. The German shells came screaming down to shred them where they lay, Abandoned in the Valley of the Shadow. The battle ground at night would look as bright as day, As Very flares turned blackness into ugly, lifeless grey. The twisted shapes that once were men in senseless patterns lay, The tenants of the Valley of the Shadow. The torn and shattered fields, the bits of wire and steel No blade of grass or branch or leaf to make the place seem real. An ancient traveller passing by just couldn't help but say: “This surely is the Valley of the Shadow.” Let paintings of that scene be hung upon the wall In rooms where governments decide if men should stand or fall. They'd never go to war again if leaders had their say While looking at the Valley of the Shadow.
13.	Back Home Again 03:20	lyrics	buy track
Back Home Again Rod Hall Old Fritzy told me, "Take a break lad, We think you're working much too hard." He sent a shell to help me on my way And blew me home to my back yard. Chorus: Now I'm back home again, Now I'm back home again, There's so much that I remember I'm trying to forget, Back home again. Not so steady on me pins now And nothing seems to be too real. I must be looking quite a mess now If I'm looking how I feel. Chorus Don't talk to me about no heroes; If you'd been through what I've been through You'd stick two fingers in the air At Kitchener and all his crew. Chorus
14.	Here Is Jack 04:34	lyrics	buy track
Here Is Jack Kevin Adams Here is Jack. Here is Jack. They swapped his cornet for a rifle and pack. The guns are firing and there’s no turning back And Jack is thinking this is not what he planned. He joined the army just to play in the band- And now this living nightmare he can’t understand. He sees a well known face as the nurses arrive. His sister Mary says, “Thank God, you’re alive!” They hold each other while the men stumble by. It’s all too much for him, he just has to cry. “Oh get me out of here Mary, I don’t want to die.” Chorus: And here am I, fortunate one No way to understand the harm that was done. Never had to put on khaki, never made to fire a gun. Fortunate one. And here is Jack, here is Jack. Some years later and he came through the lot. A touch of gas on the lungs was all that he got. He’s made a home now and he’s married his bride. “How was it, Jacky?” “It was cushy” he lied. He never talks about it, he keeps it locked up inside. He plays his music at the palais de dance. It gets him out of the house and he needs every chance. But there are times when he can still hear the guns. He’s back in Flanders facing up to the Huns- It’s slowly dawning on him- it’s just them old drums. Chorus My mother’s father who I barely knew. Here is his cornet; campaign medals too. Chorus
15.	Bright Battalions 04:49	lyrics	buy track
Bright Battalions Kevin Adams So far away, those days of light When the boys were all marched off to fight. Lines of volunteers in bright battalions Marching into gathering night. Heads held high and full of pride We were assured that God was on our side. Death lay waiting for the bright battalions, Death was not to be denied. Chorus: They shall not grow old As we that are left grow old. They shall not grow old. Khaki drill and Field Grey, See them spread before the guns’ array, Lines of sacrifice in doomed battalions- Fritz and Tommy had to pay. There's a look I recognise When I see it in a soldier's eyes- You were there among the doomed battalions You saw death with no disguise. Chorus Now it's done and I survive, Why should I be spared and left alive? I am not numbered with the bright battalions My call up failed to arrive. The paper poppies tumble down, A single bugle lets the last post sound, Age shall not weary the bright battalions In memory only they are found. Chorus

about

Experiences of the First World War.
The stories behind these songs come from residents of Milton Keynes whose memories were recorded by Living Archive MK and used as the basis for documentary theatre. All the songs except Here Is Jack were written for specific plays.
Your Loving Brother Albert is about local soldier, Private Albert French, who was aged 16 when he died. Albert’s letters home also prompted a book, a BBC Radio 4 documentary, a website, and a town-twinning between Wolverton and Ploegsteert.

Days of Pride is based on the memories of local man Hawtin Mundy whose wonderful story-telling also generated two books

Living Archive Milton Keynes
LAMK’s mantra is ‘Everybody has a story to tell’ thus supporting community cohesion in neighbourhoods across the Borough of Milton Keynes and protecting a most precious commodity – people’s heritage and pride of place.
www.livingarchive.org.uk

credits

released August 17, 2019

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10 recorded in 2019 by Mike Crofts, MCA Studios (mcastudios.co.uk)
Mixed by Brad Bradstock & Kevin Adams

Tracks 4, 6, 8, 9, 12,13 & 15 recorded in 2009 by Kevin Adams; originally issued on All That’s Changed Volumes 1 and 2
Track 9 additional backing vocals recorded 2019 by Mike Croft.

Tracks 11 recorded live in 1995 at Stantonbury Theatre by Paul Martin for Days of Pride. Mixed by Brad Bradstock.

Track 14 is from the 2015 album Sheltermore, performed and recorded by Kevin Adams.

This collection produced by Brad Bradstock, Marion Hill and Kevin Adams
www.bradbradstock.co.uk
www.kevadams.co.uk

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about

The Living Archive Band Milton Keynes, UK

An acoustic quintet with an emphasis on strong vocals to deliver both songs and the spoken word depicting the experiences of the people of North Buckinghamshire past and present. The inhabitants of the towns of Wolverton, Stony Stratford and Bletchley and of course the new city of Milton Keynes all have had something to say, and the Living Archive Band gives them a voice. ... more

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