to the Tune of "Good Grief, How the Money Rolls In", also known as "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" The Dragons, they do it for honor. They do it with poetic names. They send out their high blood to kill us. They dress up their slaughter with games. Chorus I won't, I won't, I won't give grand reasons Liike these, like these. I will, I will, I'll just risk my neck for Cbs. The Lyrans are Techs and they show it. They're thorough and thoughtful and slow. They don't go and do it themselves, but they give us the money to go. I won't, I won't, I won't do it the Steiner way, Their way. I will, I will, I'll do what I do best for pay. Capellans, they "Max" out their efforts. They'd better, or he's gonna yell. He bounces men's heads for a pastime. Yes, working for Maxie is (long pause) swell. I won't, I won't, I won't go out fighting For fear, for fear. I will, I will, I'll fight for my bread and my beer. The Mariks they never give reasons when going to war they agree. Agreement's a problem for Marik, and therefore they hire you and me. I won't, I won't, I won't trust their word Written down, and down. I will, I will, I will rush their paychecks to town. The Davions do it for glory; A glory just nobles can earn. For office and fame go to nobles and commoners don't get a turn. Chorus I won't, I won't, I won't let old Foxy Fool me, fool me. I will, I will, I 'll serve him for pay, not for free. The Taurian reasons for fighting Are much too much subtle for me They go back for three generations And most of them kill us for free. I won't, I won't, won't go out past the Inner Sphere Stars, bright stars I will, I will, stay here where I know all the bars. Rasalhague hates all mechwarriors who don't speak their dumb Swedanese. They want us to sell lives for peanuts I don't think I'll hurry to please. They hire, they fire, they think that a soldier's A slave, a slave. They won't, they won't, they won't even honor your grave. Oh, land grants are fine for the homeless. And barter can lose when you trade. House money's as good as the House is. By C-bills is happiness made. I won't, I won't, I won't give false names to my greed, my greed. I will, I will, admit that I fight for my need. There are several hundred verses to this song, many not printable in a family magazine. Each time the song is sung, each of the Houses must be mentioned, usually with special emphasis on the current employer. The song is in the ancient tradition of "soldiers' gripe" songs, the first recorded instance of which takes place at the walls of a Terran city called Troy. As a soldiers' magazine, BattleTechnology here acknowledges a major folk-cultural art form. Back to BattleTechnology 11 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1989 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com