ELTON JOHN - The Retreat lyrics

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Music by elton john<br>Lyrics by bernie taupin<br>Released as a uk b-side in september, 1982<br><br>They laid beneath the pine trees with their caps over their eyes<br>They were drunk with home and mama as they brushed away the flies<br>In an instant before the sunrise they had gunned the rebels down<br>As their flags were torn at half mast in the ruins of the town<br><br>There were white sails on the water for the crippled on the beach<br>There was a lack of ammunition so the cause was incomplete<br>When the bugle blew at breakfast and they knew their ships were in<br>Signs of grand assurance were carried on the wind<br><br>Take it home, take it low, take responsibilities<br>Came the message from the front<br>For the captains, captains quarters must retreat<br>Pack the compass, pack the tents, take the bunks<br><br>They just chalked it down in history but they kept their uniforms<br>They put their medals on the sideboards and they went back to their farms<br>For it was just a mere reminder that they stood beside the best<br>That God had saved the chosen few and the devil took the rest<br><br>On the planes above the rock face where the sculptured eagles swoop<br>There's a haunted yell for action among the spectres of his troops<br>It was silent on the coastline as the crazy angels danced<br>With the sound of retreating footfall from his military camp