They say there's a troopship just leaving bombay, bound for old blighty shore
Heavily laden with time expired men, bound for the land they adore.
There's many an airman just finishing his time, there's many a twerp signing on.
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean, so cheer up my lads, bless 'em all.

Bless em all, bless em all, the long and the short and the tall
Bless all the sergeants and w. o. ones,
Bless all the corp'rals and their blinkin sons,
'Cause we're saying goodbye to them all, as back to their billets they crawl
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean, so cheer up my lads, bless 'em all

They say if you work hard you'll get better pay
We've heard all that before
Clean up your buttons and polish your boots
Scrub out the barrack room floor
There's many a rookie has taken it in, hook line and sinker an 'all
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads bless 'em all.

Bless 'em all, bless 'em all, the long and the short and the tall,
Bless all the sergeants and w. o. ones,
Bless all the corp'rals and their blinkin sons,
'cos we're saying goodbye to them all, as back to their billets they crawl
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean, so cheer up my lads, bless'em all

Now they say that the sergeant's a very nice chap, oh what a tale to tell.
Ask him for leave on a Saturday night and he'll pay your fare home as well.
There's many an airman has blighted his life through writing rude words on the wall
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads bless 'em all

Bless 'em all, bless 'em all, the long and the short and the tall,
Bless all the sergeants and w. o. ones,
Bless all the corp'rals and their blinkin sons,
'Cause we're saying goodbye to them all, as back to their billets they crawl
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean, so cheer up my lads, bless'em all

Nobody knows what a twerp you have been, so cheer up my lads bless 'em all

Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Writer(s): AL STILLMAN, FRANK LAKE, JIMI HUGHES