This is an old World War One drinking song, particularly popular among aviators, at least this version, bitter and cynical as were most of those songs(understandably) which somehow seems appropriate to us. There are of course many variations of the lyrics.
Stand to your glasses steady
This world is a world of LIES
Drink to those dead already
And hurrah for the next to die
DENIED BY THE LAND THAT BORE US
BETRAYED BY THOSE THAT WE HOLD DEAR
The good have all gone before us
Now only the DEAD are here
We loop in the purple twilight
We spin in the silvery dawn
With a trail of smoke behind us
To show where our friends have gone
So stand to your glasses steady
And send up a toast to the sky
One for those dead already
And one for the NEXT to die!
