The world spun beneath me,
As the final mortar fell,
In these rotten trenches,
Lies a fate much worse than Hell.

Picking up my fallen rifle,
And peering down the scope,
I see the line advancing,
And lose my last shred of hope.

I feel my injured leg go numb,
And the ringing in my ears grows louder,
A feeling of calm washes over me,
And I smell the scent of spent gunpowder.

I know what I am here for,
So I feel no fear or strife,
A soldier welcomes death,
As a new-born welcomes life.