movin on movin on ashes to ashes, and dust to dust, if the grog don't get ya thenthe provos must-- chorus I'm movin on, and I won't be long, sittin here lost, like a shag on a post, and I'm movin on. here comes mama-san down the track, baby on her back and her tits swingin slack--chorus there was an aussie lyin inthe grass, playin burb gun boogie on the commies (colonels) ass--chorus i wet down to the cellar to get a cider, saw a bullant shaggin a red back spider the old camp dog was doin fine, till I dropped his nuts in turpentine here comes 1 rar down the track, here comes2 rar pickin up medals in the back ---------------------------- see that mama-san come down the track with a little aussie bastard on her back chorus were gettin to close to a shaggin outpost, and we' re movin on here come the kiwis over the top, piackin up medals that the aussies drop. ----------------------------------------- it's not so long since we left japan, our destination it was pusan chorus we' re movin on, we' ll soon be gone they were gettin too close to our listening post, so we' re movin on. here the pit pit patter of little feet, it's the first cav div in full retreat chor there's only two men that I can't stand, that's a north korean and a chinaman it's ashes to ashes and dust to dust, if the chows don't get ya then the kiwis must-- oh, the kiwi army's doin fine, way down south on the kansas line-- see the mig's in a power dive, blastin the shit outta 335 ------------------------ see the chinkies comin up 335, see the yanks pullin out in overdrive-- see the kiwi guns pointin in the air, the kiwi gunners, well they' re no there, chor they' re-- se the chinese comin over the ridge, headin like hell for the pintail bridge-- ashes to ashes and dust to dust if the chinks don't get ya then the asahi must ------------------------------------------------------- see that old leave train comin down the track, aussie in the front and a yank in the back chorus I'm movin on, but I'll soon be gone, I'd like to stay but the mp's say, keep movin on. i hada girl in old seoul, she kept treatin me like a fool-- never heard that bastard synghman rhee, say a word of thanks to me i got a letter from my home sayin my girls found another man-- i had a girl, and she was willin, now I'm takin penecillin-- ------------------------------------------- shag = cormorant asahi, japanesebrand of beer. this song was written and recorded by canadian country singer hank snow in 1949, and is still being sung and recorded, by john laws the radio talk show host. it was sung in vietnam as well as korea, where it first appeared as a soldier song. I recorded my version from hank snow, sgt, and well known personlality of 1 bn on it's first tour of rvn, 65-66. he learned the song while serving in malaysia with 3 bn in 1954, right after the korean war. brian bird, ex 1 bn malaysia, 61-62, sang basically the same version as hank, but substituted 'colonel' for 'commie'. folklorist brad tate suppied the second version, and the third was reported by warren fahey in his 'diggers songs. the last version was found in roy palmere book soldier songs of the british army, boer war to present. I think the version reported by warren is probably the original, hank probably misrecognised adjective 'shaggin' for noun 'shag--on a'. this is perhaps the most widely sung and known of the songsfrom the korean war, and I'm sure that there are many verses yet to be collected from both korea and vietnam. if you choose to sing the song, hanks version shows that the use of 'filler' verses is appropriate.