Goodbye Sergeant Jones!

Goodbye shouldha, wouldha, coulda -
Goodbye mustand, haveto, now! and Git!
Goodbye drill Sergeant of old,
Now, I have been told,
To be loving and be bold.

Your place old man is taken,
By a new drill Sergeant makin'
Me relieved
And feeling so reprieved.
O Yes, I do so love her,
She guides me through the heather
In every kind of weather,
Her name is - Melissa,

Wild maiden from honeyed Greece
Teaching me to dance by
Holding hands and leading back,
Taking up the slack,
Undoing all the knots
In my weary back.

Goodbye shouldha, wouldha, coulda -
Goodbye mustand, willdo, rightaway, today.
Sergeant Jones has gone! -
Melissa, she has won
Me for a dance –
A dance among the stars -
In the flowers of the ground,
Which on the earth I've found.

The earth so rich and warm
Spreading out its balm -
Healing hurting soul,
Making me quite whole.

Goodbye Sergeant Jones!
See you somewhere else -
I've a new teacher now,
And she I do not doubt.
She doesn't even shout,
But leads me backwards, tenderly
Among the sprigs and shoots of spring
Down the summer lanes,
In autumn's glowing colors,
And through the misty rains,
Or sharp, white sheets of snow,
To the countryside we go!

Outside with all our might,
We take gifts from left and right.
Bright and shiny decorations,
From Christmas trees,
For celebrations.
Chestnuts lying on the ground,
Fresh air have I found!
Outside is a place,
Outside is a grace.
Outside is not a walk,
With heaving breath and little talk.
No more route marches,
No more days,
Of rough and ready fix-ed ways.

Now my dear Melissa,
Shows me all the plays,
That with my dancing mind I do
With my tip-top tapping shoe.

O goodbye Sergeant Jones!
Was nice to know your bones -
But now life’s begun anew,
Receiving gifts so fine and sweet,
I hardly believe it true.
So - bye bye groans!
And....bye to you, Sergeant Jones!