Better start in soldiering and mind
your P’s and Q’s,
Cut out going absent and ease up on the booze,
Don’t kick because, you’re on fatigue,
but mind what you are about,
For the Summary Court will get you
if
you
don’t
watch
out.
Don’t go a-missing reveille;
and be in bed by check,
Don’t buck against the captain, or you’ll
get it in the neck.
Be sure to turn out promptly when you hear the sergeant
shout,
For the Summary Court will get you
if
you
don’t
watch
out.
Because you’ve got some service
don’t think you know it all,
You’ll get your extras just the same if you
should miss a call.
Take what they hand you weekly. Don’t
grumble, frown or pout.
For the Summary Court will get you
if
you
don’t
watch
out.
THE SCENT OF THE COCOA
You have heard of the ancient incense;
Of the dew of Hermann you’ve read;
You have been told of the precious ointment
That poured down on Aaron’s head;
But tell me—with all your knowledge,
Your theory, study and toil,
Have you heard of an equal or sequel
To the scent of the cocoanut oil?
At first it is always repulsive,
Makes you gag and back off
in despair;
But when you’ve got the scent of
the cocoa,
Just a scent, a mere whiff
in the air,
Then you’re gone, boy, yes, and
forever,
Where’er in this world
you may roam;
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
You forget all the precepts
of home.
You forget those most noble teachings
Of fortitude, temperance and
truth
When you once get the scent of the cocoa.
You’re gone, boy, gone
and forsooth
Though you try hard and strive to recover,
Pray to God and his angels
as well,
If you’ve once got the scent of
the cocoa
You’re destined—your
future is Hell.
But why should you be predestined
By the scent of an innocent
oil?
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
No more can you break from
its toil
Than a gambler can break from his ventures,
The drunkard turn away from
his rye.
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
The longing is there till
you die.
The great world at large doesn’t
know all,
The guilty ones seldom confess
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
Wafted up from the bright
passing dress
That their thoughts are not those of angels
Sweet and pure as the dew
of the rose,
That it’s not just the scent of
the cocoa
But the perquisite that with
it goes.
There are times when the righteous are
doubtful,
There are times when no man
doubts.
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
There’s a man and his
conscience at outs;
Reckless of moral destruction,
Fearless of anguish and pain,
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
’Tis that scent that
you long for again.