Who’s For The Game?
Who’s For The Game? Lyrics
The red crashing game of a fight?
Who’ll grip and tackle the job unafraid?
And who thinks he’d rather sit tight?
Who’ll toe the line for the signal to ‘Go!’?
Who’ll give his country a hand?
Who wants a turn to himself in the show?
And who wants a seat in the stand?
Who knows it won’t be a picnic – not much-
Yet eagerly shoulders a gun?
Who would much rather come back with a crutch
Than lie low and be out of the fun?
Come along, lads –
But you’ll come on all right –
For there’s only one course to pursue,
Your country is up to her neck in a fight,
And she’s looking and calling for you.
About
Jessie Pope, was a keen supporter of the First World War and extremely patriotic.
The poem is written as a propaganda tool to rally young men into enlisting in the army. It portrays the war as a game. Jessie Pope’s innocence and ignorance reflects most of the population of the time. Apart from the Boer War in the late nineteenth century, which was fought by professional soldiers far away from home, the Victorian -Edwardian era was one of peace. The Generals, too, had no practical experience to draw on when devising their strategies.
In direct reply to this poem, Wilfred Owen wrote Dulce et Decorum Est. It was originally titled “To Jessie” and then “To a certain poetess.”
The poem has a regular beat, the effect of which is rhythmic and child-like. It is addressed to the listener or reader in the second person plural “you”. The aim is to stir and encourage patriotic fervour.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
