She's Got Medals Lyrics - David Bowie
Review The Song (1)
She'd walk through the door and she'd set up the drinks on the house
She played a good game of darts, and the men slapped her back
And never took her out
She wore a trenchcoat khaki
Her hobnail boots were full of holes
She's got medals
Her mother called her Mary, but she changed her name to Tommy, she's a one, oh
She went and joined the army, passed the medical
Don't ask me how it's done
They sent her to the front line
Fighting for her country's name
She's got medals
She got very tired of picking up girls
Cleaning her gun and shaving her curls
Then the enemy dropped a bomb
Survivors there were none
People say that when the moon is full and all the stars have gone to bed
You can see her ghost but that's a lie because the naughty woman isn't dead
She deserted on the previous morning
Replaced her uniform with dresses silk and green
Called herself Eileen
Came to London town
Now she's settled down
She's got medals
She played a good game of darts, and the men slapped her back
And never took her out
She wore a trenchcoat khaki
Her hobnail boots were full of holes
She's got medals
Her mother called her Mary, but she changed her name to Tommy, she's a one, oh
She went and joined the army, passed the medical
Don't ask me how it's done
They sent her to the front line
Fighting for her country's name
She's got medals
She got very tired of picking up girls
Cleaning her gun and shaving her curls
Then the enemy dropped a bomb
Survivors there were none
People say that when the moon is full and all the stars have gone to bed
You can see her ghost but that's a lie because the naughty woman isn't dead
She deserted on the previous morning
Replaced her uniform with dresses silk and green
Called herself Eileen
Came to London town
Now she's settled down
She's got medals
Writer: DAVID BOWIE
Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.
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Songs got medals alright! | Reviewer: D Connelly | 5/1/10
From the seminal 1966 period this direct and most raucous of Bowie's fledglings, mentions one of the earliest recorded trans-gender adventures of his character - the original scary mary!
Mary-Tommy-Eileen escapes from 'normal' street life to join the army. One of the lads she rebels against the maternal bond rather as Uncle Arthur did but that's the only similarity in this snapshot. And it beats Uncle Arthur to the punch - Full of inuendo of the time and given the full cheeky cockney vocal, Eileen gets tired of 'Cleaning her gun', 'picking up girls' and 'shaving her curls'. Besides the double meant 'medals' indicating the sexual ambiguity of the subject.
Nevertheless it is enthralling to the enthusiast and fullfils the sense of humour problem and acceptability angst, cliche'd existence DB was experiencing at the time. He almost gave up during this time and later became very studio lazy as he fought for discovery.
It scores highly in my book and is driven by a kind of 'motown intro' beat if you will rife with handclaps. But is based in the very London backed chorus which is the title. It is a story worth knowing and in a mellower moment perhaps the author will give it credit one day to a new audience.
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