| Lyrics: | My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me
after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I
love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen
fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung
Our families back in England were
toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.
I was lying with my
messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar
sound
Says I, ``Now listen up, me boys!'' each soldier strained to hear
As one young German
voice sang out so clear.
``He's singing bloody well, you know!'' my partner says to me
Soon,
one by one, each German voice joined in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled
no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war
As soon as they were finished and a
reverent pause was spent
``God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen'' struck up some lads from Kent
The
next they sang was ``Stille Nacht.'' ``Tis `Silent Night','' says I
And in two tongues one song
filled up that sky
``There's someone coming toward us!'' the front line sentry cried
All
sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas
star, shown on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night
Soon one
by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand
to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer
game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons
and fathers far away from families of the |
