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Home Fit for Heroes

[words Les Barker, music Martin Carthy]

Home Fit for Heroes is a poem from Les Barker’s book King Charles Spaniel.

Norma Waterson, accompanied by Martin and Eliza Carthy, sang Home Fit for Heroes on Les Barker’s 1992 album Some Love.

Lyrics

Norma Waterson sings Home Fit for Heroes

They died in their millions, young men at the Somme.
And with them died their dreams for the world that they’d come from.
A dream of basic freedoms, and for that they gave their lives,
Now all that’s left are widows wondering when it all arrives.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Here’s your home fit for heroes, here’s your brand new dawn,
If you make it through the winter, if you wrap up warm.

Heat and light and comfort, security and health,
All will be provided if you pay for it yourself.
It’s a warm and a caring country if your purse is always full;
If the war left you a widow, better buy yourself some wool.

It’s just your misfortune that your husband can’t provide.
He might have made a living if he hadn’t gone and died.
So knit yourself some mittens, and knit yourself some socks,
And save up for your funeral, ’cause we won’t buy the box!