<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="" class="head">Four and Twenty Bombers</h1><h1 align="" class="head"><em>Tune</em>--" The Ball at Kirriemuir "</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line">OH, four and twenty bombers,</p><p class="line">Gaed oot at La Boisselle,</p><p class="line">An' only ane cam' back again,</p><p class="line">Remarkin' it was hell.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line"><em>Chorus</em>--Singing " Wha'll dae't the next time?</p><p class="line">Wha'll dae't the noo?</p><p class="line">The lads that did it last time</p><p class="line">Cannae dae it noo."</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">We bombed 'em for fower hours,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Until we had tae stop,</p><p class="line">An' then there was a row o' duds</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Upon the crater top.</p><p class="line"><em>Chorus</em>--Singing, etc.</p><p class="line">Sae here's tae the Kaiser,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">We'll soon hae's blood,</p><p class="line">If we cannae throw a live</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">We can aye buzz a dud.</p></div><p class="line"><em>Chorus</em>--Singing, etc.</p><p>This choice lyric, from which the best verse is omitted, for obvious reasons, is set to an ancient and disreputable Scotch ballad. </p></body></html> · Great War