1917

Emmylou Harris

The strange young man who comes to me a soldier on a three day spree
He needs one night's cheap ecstasy and a woman's arms to hide him
He greets me with a courtly bow and hides his pain by acting proud
He drinks too much and he laughs too loud how can I deny him
Let us dance beneath the moon I'll sing to you Claire de Lune
The morning always comes too soon but tonight the war is over
He speaks to me in schoolboy French of a soldier's life inside a trench
Of the look of death and the ghastly stench I do my best to please him
He puts two roses in a vase two roses sadly out of place
Like the gallant smile on his haggard face playfully I tease him
Hold me neath the Paris skies let's not talk of how or why
Tomorrow's soon enough to die but tonight the war is over

We make love too hard too fast he falls asleep his face a mask
He wakes with the shakes and he drinks from his flask I put my arms around him
They die in the trenches and they die in the air
In Belguim and France the dead are everywhere
They die so fast there's no time to prepare a decent grave to surround them
Old world glory old world fame the old world's gone gone up in flames
Nothing will ever be the same and nothing lasts forever
Oh I'd pray for him but I've forgotten how
And there's nothing nothing that can save him now
There's always another with the same funny bow and who am I to deny them
Lux aeterna Luce-at e-is domine cum sanctic tu-is in aeternum
Qui-a pius es requiem aeternaum dona e-is Domine
Qui-a pius es requiem aeternaum dona e-is Domine
Qui-a pius es et lux perpetua luce-at- e-is Cum sancris tu-is in
Aeternum qui-api-us es tonight the war is over