Song of the Soldier and his Wife -- Mother Courage and Her Children

The 'Song of the Soldier and his Wife' from Wilderness School's 2010 production of 'Mother Courage and Her Children' by Bertolt Brecht.

Lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, composed by Gavin O'Loghin. Sung by Rachel Porter, danced by Taylor Botterill (wife) and Sherri-Lee Hudson (soldier). Choreography by Melissa Sheldon. Accordion played by Bianca Polson, cello by Ella Marmion, drums by Eliza Colley.

Lyrics

" 'Your gun is precise, and your bayonet's nice
But the ice on the river won't hold you.
You'll drown in a trice if you march on the ice,
And lonely cold death shall enfold you.'

Thus spoke his wife as he whetted his knife,
Hoisting his pack he said 'Marching's my life,
When you're marching no woman can scold you.
When you're marching no woman can scold you.

We're marching off to Poland, we're marching off to Spain,
With your bayonet sharpened, there's no need to explain
And no woman ever controlled you.'

Oh bitter her tears, she was younger in years
But wiser than he, so she told him,
'March off if you must, it will all come to dust,
For only a coffin shall hold him.'

Off goes her man, he will write when he can,
And women have wept since the world first began
And her weeping has often consoled him,
The sound of her sorrow consoled him.

With the moon on the shingles, icy white on the snow,
Wave goodbye to your husband, and then back home you go,
Where you wait for the fate you fortold him.

It isn't a joke, your life is like smoke
And someday you'll wish you had tarried.
Oh, how quickly you'll fall -- oh, God, help us all!
Soldiers should never get married.

He tumbled the dice and he soon paid the price,
They gave him his orders to march on the ice
And the water rose up all around him,
The water rose up and it drowned him.

First through Poland, then through Spain,
His poor wife, she searched in vain,
But he vanished and she never found him.
He was gone and his wife never found him."

EDIT: I just realised that I accidentally left the beginning of the next scene on the end of the video. I apologise.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• mother
• courage
• and
• her
• children
• song
• of
• the
• soldier
• his
• wife

[TamChronic]

@nickiesch I asked the girls if I could, and I credited everyone, so I think so...if I'm not, I'll just delete it.