You want me to tell you a story, a yarn of the firin' line,
Of our thin red kharki 'eroes, out there where the bullets whine;
Out there where the bombs are bustin',
and the cannons like 'ell-doors slam --
...
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The poem is not as long-winded as it first seems - there is enough material in it for a short story - and the ending is neat and unexpected.