Editing Grimdark Songwriting (section)

==="And the band played 'Fight on, the Navy'(And the Band Played 'Waltzing Matilda')"===

When I was a young man I flew in a ship,<br>
And lived the free life of a scouter.<br>
From the Twin Star of Aphor to the Aquila Rift,<br>
I danced my old scoutship all over.<br>
Then in nought-oh-fifteen, the Emp-ror said "Son, <br>
It's time time to stop scoutin', there's work to be done."<br>
So they gave me a rank bar,<br>
A Cruiser, a gun,<br>
And they sent me away to the War.<br>

And the band played 'Fight on, the Navy'<br>
As we boarded the Santa Maree,<br>
And amidst all the cheers,<br>
the cannonade and tears,<br>
we left for Bellerophon III.<br>

How well I remember the sight I saw then,<br>
the proud Navy cut down and shattered.<br>
And how in the hell that they called Lagrange Ten,<br>
We were butchered like poor bloody cattle.<br>
Old Boney was ready, he'd primed himself well,<br>
he cut us with Lances, and broke us with shell.<br>
And in five minutes flat,<br>
he had blown us to hell,<br>
nearly blew me right back to Agrippa.<br>

And the Vox played 'Fight on, the Navy',<br>
as we formed up and counted the slain.<br>
We'd lost half of ours,<br>
for a handful of theirs,<br>
but we charged right on back in again.<br>

Now us that were left, well, we tried to survive,<br>
in a mad world of lanceshot and boarders.<br>
And for nine minutes ten I kept my boys alive,<br>
as around me our numbers grew lesser.<br>
Then a whole mess of guardsmen stormed onto the bridge,<br>
they shot down old Kelley, the Nav and the Kid,<br>
and for some bloody reason, they just let me live.<br>
Never knew there were worse things than dying.<br>

For I'll do no more dancing my scouter,<br>
I thought as I ran for the pod,<br>
for a scout can't feel dread,<br>
he's got more balls than head,<br>
and that's one thing a coward ain't got.<br>

The handful of pods left I gathered to me,<br>
and we left like a bolt from a barrel.<br>
A dozen survivors of two-million-odd men,<br>
the Grand Fleet of Admiral Karil.<br>
And as we all dove into Catan's dock ring,<br>
and the three from the Mada all started to sing,<br>
the thought of my men,<br>
had a horrible sting,<br>
for not one had lived through the battle.<br>

And the band played 'Fight on , the Navy',<br>
for the wives of the men of Catan,<br>
Nobody cheered,<br>
they just saw us and stared,<br>
and then, the crying began.<br>

And now every march day I sit in the crowd,<br>
and watch the young guardsmen walk on then.<br>
I wonder to myself, not speaking aloud,<br>
why there's not one vet'ran with them.<br>
The young men march stiffly, all upright with pride,<br>
they're all brave young soldiers with nothing to hide.<br>
And then one kid asks,<br>
"Is that how daddy died?"<br>
And I don't have the courage to tell him.<br>

And the band plays 'Fight on, the Navy',<br>
As I answer my question before.<br>
If the march they could give,<br>
to the men who had lived,<br>
not one man would dare march at all.<br>

Dancin' my scouter, dancin' my scouter,<br>
who'll come a-dancin' my scouter with me?<br>
And their ghosts may be heard as you dance on by Bellerophon,<br>
who'll come a-dancin' my scouter with me?<br>