Red Raggin' - The Redgum Lyrics Archive
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      • If You Don't Fight You Lose (1978) >
        • One More Boring Thursday Night in Adelaide
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        • Beaumont Rag
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      • Frontline (1984) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • ASIO
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        • Working Girls
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      • On The Frontline (1984) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • Still Life
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        • Gladstone Pier
        • Fabulon
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        • Beyond Reason
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        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Long Run
      • Midnight Sun (1986) >
        • Talk
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      • The Lost Album (late 1980s) >
        • Walking On The Ice
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        • Too Many Motels
        • Nothing Here For Me
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        • A Street To Die
        • Killing Floor
    • Redgum singles >
      • Long Run / Littlehampton's Calling Me (1981) >
        • Long Run
        • Littlehampton's Calling Me
        • Fabulon
      • 100 Years On / Nuclear Cop (1981) >
        • 100 Years On
        • Nuclear Cop
      • Working Girls (1982) >
        • Working Girls
      • Caught In The Act / Stewie / Lear Jets Over Kulgera (1983) >
        • Caught In The Act
        • Stewie
        • Lear Jets Over Kulgera
      • I Was Only Nineteen / Yarralumla Wine (1983) >
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
      • ASIO / Hira (1984) >
        • ASIO
        • Hira
      • Friday Night / Last Frontier (1984) >
        • Friday Night
        • The Last Frontier
      • I've Been To Bali Too / Still Life (1984) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • Still Life
      • Just Another Moment On Your Own / Kerang (Moon Over Water) (1985) >
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • Kerang (Moon Over Water)
      • The Drover's Dog / It Doesn't Matter To Me (1985) >
        • The Drover's Dog
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
      • Running With The Hurricane / A Street To Die (1986) >
        • Running With The Hurricane
        • A Street To Die
      • Roll It On Robbie / Empty Page (1987) >
        • Roll It On Robby
        • Empty Page
    • Redgum best of albums >
      • Everything's Legal, Anything goes (1985) >
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • Gladstone Pier
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Long Run
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
        • Killing Floor
        • ASIO
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Poor Ned
        • The Drover's Dog
        • Liner pictures
      • If You Don't Fight You Lose (1985) >
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Long Run
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
        • Still Life
        • ASIO
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Killing Floor
      • The Very Best of Redgum (1987) >
        • Roll It On Robby
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • The Drover's Dog
        • ASIO
        • Friday Night
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • Yarralumla Wine
        • Caught In The Act
        • Brown Rice and Kerosene
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Spirit of the Land
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • Talk
        • Running With The Hurricane
        • Virgin Ground
      • Against The Grain (2004) >
        • Poor Ned
        • Killing Floor
        • Servin' U.S.A.
        • Maria
        • Ted
        • Long Run
        • Brown Rice and Kerosene
        • Yarralumla Wine
        • The Last Frontier
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Lear Jets Over Kulgera
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • ASIO
        • Spirit of the Land
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Still Life
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
      • The Essential Redgum (2011) >
        • Poor Ned
        • Servin' U.S.A.
        • Killing Floor
        • Beaumont Rag
        • One More Boring Thursday Night in Adelaide
        • Carrington Cabaret
        • HMAS Australia
        • Maria
        • Ted
        • It Doesn't Matter To Me
        • Virgin Ground
        • Domination Quickstep
        • Stewie
        • Nuclear Cop
        • Long Run
        • 100 Years On
        • Brown Rice and Kerosene
        • Lear Jets Over Kulgera
        • The Last Frontier
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • Caught In The Act
        • Yarralumla Wine
        • The Federal Two-Ring Circus
        • Working Girls
        • Fabulon
        • The Diamantina Drover
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • ASIO
        • Friday Night
        • Spirit of the Land
        • Gladstone Pier
        • Still Life
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • The Drover's Dog
        • Running With The Hurricane
        • When Your Luck Ran Out
        • Blood Upon The Rain
    • Live-only songs >
      • Old Mal Fraser Had A Farm
      • El Salvadore
      • The Day McArthur Farted And Saved The Town From Drought
      • I'd Lose To Shoot Smack With Malcolm
      • Liberal Values
    • John Schumann albums >
      • Etched In Blue (1987) >
        • Borrowed Ground
        • Thunder Across The Reef
        • Holy Mary
        • Coming Home
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • He's Got The Money
        • Yuppie Days
        • After The Party
        • For The Children
        • Borrowed Ground Reprise 1788-1988
      • John Schumann Goes Looby-Loo (1989) >
        • She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain
        • I Had A Cat
        • This Alley-Alley Oo
        • This Old Man
        • Do Your Ears Hang Low
        • Little Rabbit In The Wood
        • I Hear Thunder
        • The Fox
        • Michael Finnigin
        • Mum Doesn't Like Us Playing The Drums Around Here
        • Working On The Railway
        • Mr Frog
        • Dr Knicker-Bocker
        • One Man Went To Mow a Meadow
        • Worms
        • Looby-Loo
        • Six Little Ducks
        • For The Children
        • Mr Quangle-Wangle-Quee
      • True Believers (1993) >
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Leigh Creek Road
        • Fallen Angel
        • Eyes on Fire
        • Working Class Man
        • Roll On The Day
        • Clancy Of The Overflow
        • If The War Goes On
        • Hyde Park Calling
        • Plympton High
        • Eyes on Fire (acoustic)
        • If I Close My Eyes (reprise)
      • The Very Best of John Schumann (2002) >
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Borrowed Ground
        • Holy Mary
        • Thunder Across The Reef
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • For The Children
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Leigh Creek Road
        • Clancy Of The Overflow
        • Eyes on Fire
        • Roll On The Day
        • If The War Goes On
        • One True Game
        • Borrowed Ground Reprise
      • Gelignite Jack (2007) >
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Long Run
        • The Last Frontier
        • Where Ya Gonna Run To
        • I've Been To Bali Too
        • Borrowed Ground
        • Thunder Across The Reef
        • Holy Mary
        • For The Children
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Eyes on Fire
        • Clancy Of The Overflow
        • One True Game
        • Faces In The Street
        • To Hannah
    • John Schumann singles >
      • Safe Behind The Wire / He's Got The Money (1987) >
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • He's Got The Money
      • Borrowed Ground / Borrowed Ground The Headphone Mix (1987) >
        • Borrowed Ground
      • Holy Mary / Coming Home (1987) >
        • Holy Mary
        • Coming Home
      • Eyes On Fire / After The Party (1992) >
        • Eyes on Fire
        • After The Party
      • If I Close My Eyes / Leigh Creek Road (1993) >
        • If I Close My Eyes
        • Leigh Creek Road
      • One True Game / Just Another Moment On Your Own (2002) >
        • One True Game
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
    • Hugh McDonald solo albums >
      • Lawson (1994) >
        • Faces In The Street (McDonald)
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        • On The Night Train
        • The Sliprail And The Spur
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      • Where's The Party? (2002) >
        • With Or Without You
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      • Spirit Of The Land (2007) >
        • Streams of Whiskey
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        • Under The Milky Way
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    • Vagabond Crew >
      • Lawson (2005) >
        • To An Old Mate
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        • To Hannah
        • Prouder Man Than You
        • The Low Lighthouse
        • The Shame Of Going Back
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      • Behind The Lines (2008) >
        • Boy On The Run
        • The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
        • Scots Of The Riverina
        • No Man's Land
        • Ted
        • To An Old Mate
        • Just Another Moment On Your Own
        • Mothers Daughters Wives
        • Khe Sanh (Long Tan Version)
        • My Country
        • I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green)
        • Rachel
        • Wings Of An Eagle
        • Safe Behind The Wire
        • When The War Is Over
        • I'll Be Gone
        • Waltzing Matilda
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  • Untitled

If The War Goes On lyrics

On True Believers (1993) and Portrait: The Very Best of John Schumann (2002)

If The War Goes On (John Schumann)

It was one of those blue and white biscuit tins
With a picture of the queen
And she kept his ribbons
They sent her back in 1943
And a family photo on the beach
He was lifting up their son - 
And a piece of yellow newsprint
With the words
If the war goes on

It was a warm suburban morning
Back in 1968
And a khaki-colored car pulled up
And parked across the gate
MIA or KIA - 
Another soldier gone
And a generation lost in Asia
If the war goes on

The Kokoda trail to the Long Hai hills
For every bullet fired
The desperate drums of mankind
Are humming loudly on the wire
There's oil to drown the ocean
There's fire to drown the sun
How much longer
How much longer

They strapped my brother to an F18
And shot him into the night
Sirens are screaming
Run for cover
Pull that mask on tight
God's on our side
God's on their side 
Covenant's ripped and torn
How much longer
How much longer
If the war goes on

She packed her little son a bag
And strapped it to his back
With some money and some food
In case she didn't make it back
And she pinned a note inside his coat
This little boy's name is Tom
Look after him - please
If the war goes on
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