Canal Zone

The fighting began after hours of waiting In dampness and darkness and cramped in a corner Ready and willing to move on the order At twenty-two minutes past nine At twenty-two minutes past nine The message came over the line Fired in the furnace of self-preservation And cast in the mould of my fathers before me Out there an ocean so windswept and stormy I nearly feel really alive I nearly feel really alive Now the order to go has arrived No time for thought, and of course none for reason No calculation for when I am older The battle is raging and I am the soldier With only a moment to go With only a moment to go The overtures herald the show Hardened to face the undreamable frenzy Thrown on the rapids of true trepidation Fighting for life with a sense of elation The orders command and I shall The orders command and I shall Head on down the canal Out in the light in one moment of glory Drowned in a sea where to win is surviving Choked on the welcoming dust, my arriving Affirms my position and worth Affirms my position and worth Affirms my position and worth