1917 David Olney
"1917" (Words and music by David Olney)
[Bm]The French prostitute, 1917
[Bm]The[Em] strange young man who comes to me
[F#]A s[Bm]oldier on a three day spree
[Bm]Who[Em] needs one night's cheap ecstasy
[F#]And[Bm] a woman's arms to hide him
[Bm]He [Em]greets me with a courtly bow
[F#]He [Bm]hides his pain by acting proud
[Bm]And[Em] he drinks too much and he laughs too loud
[F#]But[Bm], how can I deny him?
[D]Le[A]t us dance beneath the moon
[Em]I'l[Bm]l sing to you "Claire de Lune"
[D]Th[A]e morning always comes too soon
[F#]But[Bm] tonight the war is over
[Bm]He [Em]speaks to me in schoolboy French
[F#]Of [Bm]a soldier's life inside a trench
[Bm]The[Em] look of death, the ghastly stench
[F#]I d[Bm]o my best to please him
[Bm]He [Em]puts two roses in a vase
[F#]Two[Bm] roses sadly out of place
[Bm]Lik[Em]e the gallant smile on his haggard face
[F#]Pla[Bm]yfully I tease him
[D]Ho[A]ld me 'neath the Paris sky
[Em]Let[Bm]'s not talk of how or why
[D]To[A]morrow's soon enough to die
[F#]But[Bm] tonight the war is over
[Bm]We [Em]make love too hard, too fast
[F#]He [Bm]falls asleep, his face a mask
[Bm]He [Em]wakes with the shakes and drinks from his flask
[F#]I p[Bm]ut my arms around him
[Bm]The[Em]y die in the trenches, they die in the air
[F#]In [Bm]Belgium an Franch the dead are everywhere
[Bm]The[Em]y die so fast there's no time to prepare
[F#]A d[Bm]ecent grave to surround them
[D]Ol[A]d World glory and Old World fame
[Em]The[Bm] Old World's gone, gone up in flames
[D]No[A]thing will ever be the same
[F#]And[Bm] nothing lasts forever
[Bm]I'd[Em] pray for him, but I've forgotten how
[F#]And[Bm] there's nothing, nothing that can save him now
[Bm]The[Em]re's always another with the same funny bow
[F#]And[Bm] who am I to deny them
[D]La[A], la etc.
[Em] [Bm]
[D] [A]
[F#]Ton[Bm]ight the war is over
(David Olney/Bug Music-David Olney Songs, adm. by Bug, BMI)
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