The Tanks That Broke the Ranks Out in Picardy

The Tanks That Broke the Ranks Out in Picardy (also known by the shorter title of The Tanks That Broke the Ranks) is a 1916 song written jointly by Harry Castling and Harry Carlton.

Overview

The song was composed as a promotional song for the-then new Tank, which had been first used during the First World War, and were regarded with interest and awe by both sides when they were first deployed.

It is written to the jaunty tune of a music hall hit of a few years earlier The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo.

The song itself tells the story of a brigade of tanks on the Western Front, passing obstacles with ease. It references many prominent German military leaders of the day, including Kaiser Wilhelm, Alfred von Tirpitz, Paul von Hindenburg and Prince Wilhelm.

Lyrics

In No Man's Land one early morn at sixty in the shade

From out the British lines there came the famous Tank Brigade

The Huns began to strafe 'em, couldn't make it out at all

Especially when the tanks began the Caterpillar crawl.

And the tanks went on, and they strolled along with an independent air

And their guns began to blare, and the Huns began to swear

For they pulled the trees up by the roots, and they made the Huns look like galoots

Did the tanks that broke the ranks out in Picardy.

The Huns peeped through their trenches, for they couldn't understand.

They cried "Here comes the British Navy, sailing on the land!"

The Kaiser saw them also and, as through the trench he ran,

He shouted out to Tirpitz "Hush! Here comes the bogey man!"

And the tanks went on, and they strolled along with an independent air

Said the Huns, "It isn't fair! You're not fighting on the square!"

At the fortress then they made a call and started walking through the wall

Did the tanks that broke the ranks out in Picardy.

When Hindenburg first saw a tank he chaffed and made a fuss.

He said to Little Willie "It's a motor omnibus!"

Then Little Willie saw it and he made a rude remark

Said he, "It's not a 'bus at all - it's Noah inside his Ark!"

And the tanks went on, and they strolled along with an independent air

And a German colonel there nearly lost his ginger hair

From inside the tank there came a claw, and it pulled him through the early door

And they took him for a joy-ride round Picardy.

And they strolled along to the Bois Boulong with an independent air,

Up and down each thoroughfare, and they didn't seem to care;

Then the little bantam driver cried to all the Tommies,

"Jump inside And it's tuppence all the way from here to Berlin".

External links

• 1916 recording of the song