Blood Upon the Railway
He was just a rookie trooper, and all dressed up in white
He checked all his equipment, and made sure his pack was tight
As distantly he listened to those rebel cannons roar:
"You won't keep the peace no more!"
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
He won't keep the peace no more!
XX
"Is everybody happy?" cried the sergeant, looking up
Our hero meekly answered "Yes", and then they stood him up
They moved his company forward as the shells began to fall
And he won't keep the peace no more!
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
He won't keep the peace no more!
XX
He hit the ground, he held it close, shaking from the shock
There was no place for him to hide, no tree or mossy rock
The spotters called in a new barrage; it hurtled to the ground
And he won't keep the peace no more!
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
He won't keep the peace no more!
XX
Old memories, days from his past, kept running through his mind
He thought about the girl back home, the one he'd left behind
He thought about the medicals, and wondered what they'd find
And he won't keep the peace no more!
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
He won't keep the peace no more!
XX
Artillery of every kind came wailing, screaming down
He knew there was no way they'd make it to the town
Fragmentation, HE, gas and smoke, and then they sent some more
And he won't keep the peace no more!
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
He won't keep the peace no more!
XX
A dud hit first, a live one next, his blood went spurting high
His comrades then were heard to say: "A HELL OF A WAY TO DIE!"
He lay there rolling 'round in the welter of his gore
And he won't keep the peace no more!
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
He won't keep the peace no more!
XX
The cannoneers were on the spot, not a shell went sailing wild
The brass, they jumped and screamed with glee, looked on the scene and smiled
They worshipped the artillery, the modern god of war
"White won't keep the peace no more!"
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
They won't keep the peace no more!
XX
[Slowly, about half the speed of the other verses]
There was blood upon the railway, there were brains upon the road
The boy in white would no more return to visit his betrothed
The biggest piece of him they found was a couple of his toes
And he won't keep the peace no more!
XX
[Chorus]
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die
He won't keep the peace no more!
A/N: This song is based heavily off the American airborne infantry song that originated in World War II, "Blood Upon the Risers". Here, in the world of the Hunger Games, it is revived as a Rebel field artillery song. However, the biggest difference (besides the combat arms branch that sings it) is who its subject is. "Blood Upon the Risers" tells a gallows-humor style tale of a new American paratrooper making his first combat jump and plummeting to a gruesome death. "Blood Upon the Highway" has its protagonist meet the same kind of fate, except he is the enemy of the soldiers singing the song instead of one of their own. Field artillery is never talked about in the world of "The Hunger Games" but it almost certainly exists. Like a landmine, just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.