[Verse 1]
They disembarked in '45 and no-one spoke and no one smiled
There were too many spaces in the line
Gathered at the cenotaph
All agreed with hand on heart to sheathe the sacrificial knives
But now she stands upon Southampton dock
With her handkerchief, and her summer frock
Clings to her wet body in the rain
In quiet desperation
Knuckles white upon the slippery rails
She bravely waves the boys goodbye again

[Verse 2]
And still the dark stain spreads between their shoulder blades
A mute reminder of the poppy fields and graves
And when the fight was over
We spent what they had made, but
In the bottom of our hearts, we felt the final cut