carol my dove your prayers have been felt
hoping your christmas was pretty and cheerful
i live for your letters but seldom respond
to spare you the terrors these months i’ve been gone
turtle dove it’s why i don’t write
early in august the channel we crossed
swore i’d return by the first winter’s frost
november more men fell to weather and rot
then all by the rifle grenade or bayonet
november's been worse for the cold and sickness
the general's determined to turn the statististics
they ordered a charge so we poured from the trenches
and dies by the scores in a contest for inches
turtle dove it’s why i don’t write
carol my dove i write for the love of humanity
as witness that peace upon earth is no vanity
at christmas our sweet savior’s birth
and i’m writing the events of december twenty-fourth
the saxons were singing stille nacht
as we merry gentlemen rested on god
then the old german sarge climbed out of his hole
with a tree lit with candles and cheer in his soul
our captain absconded to go shake his hand
then we all spent christmas on no-man’s land
we stood for a picture played a match of football
we picked up our fallen held a common funeral
we traded tobacco helmets and hymns
on the whole western front we were christian friends
carol my dove i write for the love of humanity
as witness that peace upon earth is not vanity
at christmas our sweet savior’s birth
and i’m writing the events of december twenty-fourth
the saxons were singing stille nacht
as we merry gentlemen rested on god
then the old german sarge climbed out of his hole
with a tree lit by candles and cheer in his soul
our captain absconded to go shake his hand
then we all spent christmas on no-man’s land
turtle dove i’m writing for love