Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Sure a Little Bit of Shrapnel

Traditional

“Sure a Little Bit of Shrapnel” as printed in The Canadian Soldiers' Song Book (1918).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 289 1918 · historical text
Public domainSoldier songHistorical song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Canadian Soldiers' Song Book, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Sure a little bit of shrapnel fell from out the sky one day,

And it nestled in my shoulder in a kind and loving way,

And when the M.O. saw it,

Sure it looked so sweet and fair,

He said "You're off to Blighty,

They will fix you up back there."

So he sprinkled it with iodine, to keep the germs away,

It's the only way to stop them no matter what you say,

But before I left the CCS. he changed his fickle mind,

And he marked me down for duty and he sent me up the line.

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. Historical text published in The Canadian Soldiers' Song Book (1918); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Canadian Soldiers' Song Book (1918), “Sure a Little Bit of Shrapnel”

The 1918 published edition is in the public domain in the United States (pre-1931 publication). Entries whose credited author died more than 70 years ago are also in the public domain in life-plus-70 jurisdictions; other entries are held.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-12. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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