Throughout history, soldiers have adopted and adapted existing songs to their own purposes. This issue's More Than Warriors is an example, based on a folk song which dates back at least to the 19th Century on Earth. The original tune, "Botony Bay," was sung by Irish emigrants on their way to the hardships and promise of a new land called Australia. The version printed below, which dates at least as far back as the late 2700's, is of interest because it presents the confident--perhaps naive--view of the brand new soldier. The seasoned veteran's comments about "the soldier's life" and "adventure along the glory road" are seldom printable. The Soldier's Life Chorus: Farewell to your bricks and mortar, farewell to your dirty lies. Farewell to your gangers and gangplanks, and to hell with your overtime. For the dropship Ragamuffin is liftin' off today. Gonna leave this life, my home and wife, and draw Mech Warrior's pay. I'd heard the tales of a soldier's life, of adventure and of gold. They've got a girl on every world, or so I have been told. Their best friend is their BattleMech, their fighting skill their fame I knew right then I'd go with them and make myself a name. The sergeant he came down the line, he looked at us and swore That a sorrier bunch of 'Mech trainees, he'd never seen before. He said we'd never make it, that we might as well go home. Worked day and night, with all our might, by God we proved him wrong. Got posted to a garrison along the Draconis line. We beat their regulars once or twice, their mercs a dozen times. Now what they say about soldiering, tis true as true can be Every job's an adventure along the glory road, it's a soldier's life for me. Back to BattleTechnology 3 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1988 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com