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Recruiting Sargeant
By Great Big Sea
Two recruiting sergeants came to the CLB,
for the sons of the merchants, to join the Blue Puttees
So all the hands enlisted, five hundred young men
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me
They crossed the broad Atlantic in the brave Florizel,
And on the sands of Suvla, they entered into hell
And on those bloody beaches, the first of them fell
Chorus
So it's over the mountains, and over the sea
Come brave Newfoundlanders and join the Blue Puttees
You'll fight in Flanders, and at Galipoli
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me
Then the call came from London, for the last July drive
To the trenches with the regiment, prepare yourselves to die
The roll call next morning, just a handful survived.
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me
Chorus
The stone men on Water Street still cry for the day
When the pride of the city went marching away
A thousand men slaughtered, to hear the King say
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me
Chorus x3
Its a true story, and a sad one at that. A large portion of Newfoundlands population was killed in World War One all for 'King and Country'. In a single battle, 800 Newfoundlanders went over the trench wall, but only 68 survived until the next morning. Entire families were devastated, and yet, few Canadians today can remember the Blue Puttee's.They were named a Royal Regiment before the war was even over. Makes me feel proud to be a Canadian.
Alas, Great Big Sea is capable of making this seem like a pretty upbeat song. They are also great at telling stories.
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