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Summer on the Somme

from The Wayside Ballads Vol 3 (2021) by Bill Jackson

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SUMMER ON THE SOMME
Bringing the futility of war into sharp focus, the Great War devastated Australia and robbed her of the fittest and brightest. Much has been written about the cost. This song focuses on the Cenotaph of a Melbourne suburb.

lyrics

Summer on the Somme (Bill Jackson/Ross Jackson)

All that is left are names carved in stone
On the Main St in Eltham that they used to call home
Long ago in places hard to pronounce
Lie lost sons and daughters in Belgium and France

Summer on the Somme 1916
On July 1 it turned obscene
On the pretty green fields raged a living hell
Of deadly gas and machine guns and shells

 After each battle the death lists came down
There was heartbreak and sorrow in the cities and towns
The shock of the loss the burning pain
Of never seeing or feeling a loved one again

Summer on the Somme 1916
On July 1 it turned obscene
On the pretty green fields raged a living hell
Of deadly gas and machine guns and shells

So many dead for such little gain
Man’s greatest achievement was to kill and to maim
Now all that is left are names carved in stone
On the Main St in Eltham that they used to call home

Summer on the Somme 1916
On July 1 it turned obscene
On the pretty green fields raged a living hell
Of deadly gas and machine guns and shells

On the pretty green fields raged a living hell
Of deadly gas and machine guns and shells

credits

from The Wayside Ballads Vol 3 (2021), released April 19, 2021
Bill Jackson: Acoustic Guitar/Vocal
Kerryn Tolhurst: Mandolin

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Bill Jackson Melbourne, Australia

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