Machine Gunner's Lament, The

DESCRIPTION: "I'll take the tripod And you take the gun, And you'll be in action before me. And if you get shot, I'll take the bleeding lot And I'll eat your rations in the morning."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 2014 (Pegler-SoldiersSongsAndSlangoftheGreatWar_
KEYWORDS: soldier death food | machine gun
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Pegler-SoldiersSongsAndSlangoftheGreatWar, p. 351, "The Machine Gunner's Lament" (1 text, tune referenced)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Loch Lomond" (tune) and references there
NOTES [74 words]: A World War I heavy machine gun (the only kind available early in the war), with all its parts, weighed at least ninety pounds, and some were on the order of 150, so it took several men to carry them; hence, presumably, this song. The normal crew for a gun was at least three men. Some lighter models were developed later in the war, such that one man could carry it, but someone still had to carry the large amount of ammunition required. - RBW
Last updated in version 7.1
File: PSoS351

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography