Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser

"Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser"
Song by Mark Sheridan
Written	6 October 1914
Language	English

Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser was a popular British patriotic song of the First World War. It was first recorded on 6 October 1914 by Mark Sheridan. The song refers to the 1914 campaign in Belgium when the small British Expeditionary Force, along with an unexpectedly fierce Belgian defence, managed to delay the much larger German army, slowing them and wrecking the Schlieffen Plan which depended on total victory against the French to the west in a matter of weeks. By attacking Belgium, they had violated that nation's neutrality and brought the British Empire into the war because of a pledge to uphold Belgian independence. The song has the metre of Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!.

The song had an early spike in popularity, but fell out of favour after early 1915.

It was featured in the stage musical (1963) and musical film (1969) Oh! What a Lovely War.

A silly German sausage
Dreamt Napoleon he'd be,
Then he went and broke his promise,
It was made in Germany.
He shook hands with Britannia
And eternal peace he swore,
Naughty boy, he talked of peace
While he prepared for war.

He stirred up little Serbia
To serve his dirty tricks
But naughty nights at Liege
Quite upset this Dirty Dick.
His luggage labelled 'England'
And his programme nicely set,
He shouted 'First stop Paris',
But he hasn't got there yet.

For Belgium put the kibosh on the Kaiser;
Europe took the stick and made him sore;
On his throne it hurts to sit,
And when John Bull starts to hit,
He will never sit upon it any more.

His warships sailed upon the sea,
They looked a pretty sight
But when they heard the bulldog bark
They disappeared from sight.
The Kaiser said 'Be careful,
If by Jellicoe they're seen,
Then every man-of-war I've got
Will be a submarine'.

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Wikipedia