WORLD WAR ONE - WW1 - HYMN FOR SSAFA 1

Once crimson poppies bloomed

                1              Once crimson poppies bloomed

                                out in a foreign field,

                                each memory reminds

                                where brutal death was sealed.

                                The crimson petals flutter down,

                                still hatred forms a thorny crown.

                2              For in this present time

                                we wait in vain for peace,

                                each generation cries,

                                each longing for release,

                                while war still plagues the human race

                                and families seek a hiding place.

                3              How long will human life

                                suffer for human greed?

                                How long must race or pride,

                                wealth, nationhood or creed

                                be reasons justifying death

                                to suffocate a nation’s breath?

                4              For everyone who dies

                                we share a quiet grief,

                                the pain of loss remains,

                                time rarely brings relief,

                                and so we will remember them

                                and heaven sound a loud amen.

                                                                Andrew Pratt (born 1948)

                                The tune LITTLE CORNARD is commended for this text

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For the period 2014–2018 all royalties received for use of this hymn will be donated to SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Families Association) – the National Armed Forces Charity providing support for military families.

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