Pup Tent lyrics

Once, long ago issued so

Each man carried its parts

That coupled to create

A shelter's half to each

To make a pup tent

Cramped for space

And low to the ground

Smell of canvas waxed

Prolonged storage smell

So drab and primitive

Whomever the buddy

They had to match so

Button or zippers both

Stakes and lines about

All for this happy home

Foul weather etiquette

Unbreakable rules rustic

N'er to touch its walls near

In the throws of heavy rain

A dripping reminder sounds

Mounds and trenches keep

Necessary to be warm, dry

Those discomforts of conflict

Perpetual sopping worsened one

Companion of sickness, misery

Impossible without teamwork

A temporary abode so austere

A palace compared to a hole

That would fill with wet mud

Trudged and ever churned

In winter, oh so very cold

Body heat by proximity gained

Icy boots that were e'er damp

N'er to be warm, bitter cold

Praying for the sun's rays

In larger tents were stoves

That burned wood harvested

And men sat face to face

Foot to pit sharing body heat

To stay frostbite's clutches

No relief, no retreat, persistent

A realm of little tents arrowed

In the perimeter kingdom there

Where canvas peaks blend in

Everywhere lines are strewn

An obstacle course of lineage

And toe-busters in the ground

That showed no mercy for men

Attending to midnight excursions

In barren and blistered feet