my son john was tall and slim he had a leg for every limb but now he s got no legs at all cos he run a race with a cannonball with cannonball he run a race with a cannonball jack the lad he went off to war i waved bye bye as he went out the door says bye bye john when i see you again you ll be back from iraq from afghanistan from the taliban you ll be back from iraq and afghanistan i sat down there down the shore for the space of seven long years or more til a big transport come across the sky i shouted aloud at it clear the way clear the way i shouted aloud will you clear the way i shouted aloud til the captain said are you here with the living or back with the dead do you see anything of my son john is the boy living or is he gone is he gone is the poor boy living or is he gone well up come john he s got no legs got carbon fibre blades instead she smiled as she kissed him over and all betcha run quicker than you did before you did before bet you run quicker than you did before were you deaf were you blind when you left your own two legs behind or did you go a walking across the the sea to shake your two legs down to the knee down to the knee shake your two legs down to the knee  oh i wasn t deaf i was not blind when i left my own two legs behind but a thundering landmine jumped in the way wore these legs right down to the knee down to the knee wore these legs right down to the knee i was tall i was slim and i had a leg for every limb then chicken hawks come knock knocking at the door cruel britannia called for war she called for war cruel britannia called for war cruel britannia called for war when all those chicken hawks stood at the door so cluster bombs like youths of corn you better stay away from the harvest hoe the harvest hoe you better run a mile from the harvest hoe my son john was tall and slim he had a leg for every limb but now he s got no legs at all cos he run a race with a cannonball with cannonball he run a race with a cannonball