Dawn Patrol

Goggles down, pull prop and pray
Thumbs up, chaps, and chocks away
In the castor fumes in the cockpit cold
In the puke and fear of dawn patrol
Sailing out into the gold
Sailing out to dawn patrol
Black Wing heads out to the storm
To the hunting grounds across the Somme
To test his hawk in the blitz and blood
And a pox upon all oath’s he’d sworn
Sailing out into the gold
Condemned to fly the dawn patrol
Reapers high in the combat zone
Cloud-dodging over no man’s land
Tests his guns and nothing’s wrong
Now this crate is his and to command
Then dropping like a killing stone
He comes spinning from the sun
Sailing out into the gold
It’s the darkest knight of dawn patrol
It’s man to man, eye to eye
Dog fights in a framed sky
Saluting those about to die
His ammo’s spent His guns are lammed
He gives a nod He waves goodbye