1918 - was in boot camp
I woke up one night, my sheets were damp
My veins were ice, couldn’t get warm
I only felt worse by the break of dawn
Sergeant took one look at me
Shook his head and bade me leave
Mercy, mercy true
Save me from the killing flu
They laid me down in a wooden cot
In a row of ten by fifty lot
We had some shade, but no relief
When a soldier died, they just rolled his sheets
Then came men all dressed in white
Carry the body into the light
Chorus
My temperature ran a hundred and three
By the second day, I could barely breathe
On the night of the third, they knew I’d go
They rolled my sheets and tagged my toe
When the sun came up and I awoke
By the grace of God, my fever broke
Chorus
Of all the soldiers in World War I
Who never came home, their duty done
There’s many more who never left
And the Spanish Flu was their death
credits
from Postmark,
released June 1, 2006
Frank Gayer Martin: vocals, guitar, lap slide, bass
This New Haven duo write bright and emotionally resonant folk music where sweeping strings elevate gorgeous melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 23, 2021
Edd Donovan's day job as a social worker brings a sense of empathy to his elegantly constructed political folk music. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 26, 2019