SAFE AND WELL...

We've heard the cry of jackals
And the braying of the donk;
We bargained with the Arabs
For their eggs, their fruit, their plonk.
We've lived with sheep and camels
(And their everlasting smell.)
- But still we write those same old words:
"Dear Mum, I'm safe and well."

We've heard the Jerry bombers
Come screaming overhead.
And it's not very pleasing,
To be dodging lumps of lead.
But when you're in the trenches,
Midst a hail of stone and shell.
- You'll still find time to write a note:
"Dear Mum, I'm safe and well."

The tucker may be onkus;
The water may be crook
We haven't seen a drop of beer
Since Wavell took Tobruk.
We've been before the skipper
(Caught out A.W.L.)
- But take your pen and write this down:
"Dear Mum, I'm safe and well."

We've marched on rocks and gibbers,
And swallowed tons of sand.
'Til we wonder why this awful place
Was called "the Promised Land".
The nights are cold as charity.
The days as hot as hell.
- But still we scribble once again:
"Dear Mum, I'm safe and well."