1604. Bomber's Moon (Mike Harding)

Описание: The term "bomber's moon" was used during the Second World War to refer to a bright full moon which illuminates the Earth almost like daylight. The idea was that pilots used the light of a bomber's moon to zero in on their targets. People who lived through the Second World War, especially veterans who flew in the war, still use this term to refer to an especially bright moon, although it is unfamiliar to many people born after the war.

In the Second World War, targeting equipment for bombs was far less precise than modern aircraft and weapons. Planes had to be aimed directly at targets and the brighter the lighting conditions, the easier it was for pilots and crews to see potential targets. There were often a large number of bombing raids on the night of a bomber's moon to take advantage of the favourable conditions.

Mike Harding (born 23 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter, comedian, author, poet, broadcaster and multi-instrumentalist. He is known as "The Rochdale Cowboy" after one of his hit records. His father, Arthur 'Curly' Harding, was a navigator on the bomber flights in 1944 and was killed in a raid a few weeks before Mike was born. He is referred to in the lyrics as "Curly Thompson". As someone noted in a YouTube comment, it says much about Mike's character that he could write such a moving song about his father, and all those whose died in these raids, and still extend the hand of friendship to dedicate the song to his friends in Germany.

This song was requested by Lee Moran, B Flight, 51 Sqn, Royal Air Force.

Lyrics and chords:
D ........ G ......... D
'44 in Bomber County -
................................. G ........ D
Young men waiting for the night,

In the hedgerows birds are singing,
G ................... A7
Calling in the falling light.
............... G ....................................................................... D
And the captain says, “Tonight there'll be a bomber's moon,
............... G .............................................................. D
We'll be there and back underneath a bomber's moon.
..... A7 ........................ G ........................... D
A thousand bombers over the northern sea
A7 .................. G ................... D
Heading out, out for Germany.”

Chalkey White stands at the dartboard,
Curly Thompson writes to his wife,
Nobby Clarke and Jumbo Johnson
Are playing cards and smoking pipes;
And over the hangars rises a bomber's moon,
Full and clear rising, as the engines croon,
And the planes they taxi out on to runway five
And sail off out into the silvery night.

Sandy Campbell checks his oil gauge,
The Belgian coast is coming soon;
Curly Thompson lifts his sextant,
Lines up on a bombers’ moon
And waves are shining there beneath the bomber's moon.
The Lancasters flying high below the bomber's moon,
Coming in along the Belgian coast,
A thousand silver-shrouded ghosts.

Flak flies up around the city,
Jumbo Johnson banks his plane,
Goes in low and drops his payload,
Turns to join the pack again.
And people are dying there below the bomber's moon,
The city's a raging hell below the bomber's moon,
And the planes head out towards the northern sea:
Young men coming home from victory.

Over Belgium came the fighters,
Flying high against the night;
Curly Thompson saw them coming,
Closing in before he died.
And the young men shot them down below the bomber's moon,
Shot them down in flames below the bomber's moon;
Young men sending young men to their graves
Saw them down into the North Sea waves.

'83 in Bomber County,
Mrs White dusts the picture and she cries:
Chalkey White in uniform
Looking as he did the day he died.
And for God's sake no more bomber's moons,
No more young men going out to die too soon,
Old men sending young men out to die,
Young men dying for a politician's lies.

For God's sake no more bomber's moons,
No more young men going out to die too soon,
Old men sending young men out to kill.
If we don't stop them then they never will.
No more, no more bomber's moons.
No more, no more bomber's moons.
No more, no more bomber's moons.
No more, no more bomber's moons.

Lyrics and chords of many of my songs are no longer available, as my website has expired. I am currently posting lyrics to the information panels on all my videos and those that are too long to post in full will be found on my new website: https://raymondsfolkpage.wordpress.com