Gunga Din
Rudyard Kipling

You may talk of gin and beer
When you're quartered safe out 'ere
An' you're sent to penny fights and Aldershot it
But when it comes to slaughter
You'll do your work on water
An' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im thats got it

Now in Indias' sunny clime
Where I used to spend my time
A servin' of Her Majesty the Queen
Of all them blackfaced crew
The finest man I knew
Was our Regimental bhisti* Gunga Din    *[ed: Water Carrier]

The uniform 'e wore
Were nothing much before
An' rather less than 'alf 'o that behind
For a piece 'o twisty rag an' a goatskin water bag
Was all the field equipment 'e could find
When the sweatin' troop train lay
In the siding through the day
An' the 'eat would make your bloomin' eyeballs crawl

Wi the bullets kicking dust spots on the green
You squidgy nosed old idol Gunga Din

With 'is mussik on 'is back 'e would skip with our attack
'Ee'd be standing fifty paces right flank rear

When the cartridges ran out
You could hear the front ranks shout
Hi ammunition mules - and Gunga Din

It was Din Din Din
Here's a beggar wi' a bullet through 'is spleen
'E's kickin' all around an' chawin' up the ground
For Gawds sake get the water Gunga Din

I sha'nt forgit the night
When I dropped behind the fight
Wi' a bullet where mi' belt plate should ha' been

'E lifted up me head
An' plugged me where I bled
An gave me 'alf a pint of water green
It was crawlin' and it stunk
But of all the drinks I've drunk
I'me gratefullest to the one from Gunga din

An' a bullet came and drilled the beggar clean

An' just before 'e died

I 'oped you liked your drink says Gunga Din
'E'll be squatting on the coals
Giving drinks to poor damned souls
'An I'll get a drink in hell from Gunga Din

Though I've belted you and flayed you
By the living God that made you
You're a better man than I am Gunga Din