[Verse 1]
One Friday afternoon at three o'clock
A passing lady looked into a shop
Her eyes lit up as this the sign she read
Recruiting Office, that is what it said
Excitedly she stepped inside to see
How her sons would fare if they were military
The man in charge to her was very sweet
And said, "Please sign here on this little sheet"
But when she got home, her mind drew many fears
The message from the soldiers in the war rang in her ears

[Chorus]
Don't put your boys in the army, Mrs. Ward
You know they'll only waste away, oh
Don't put your boys in the army, Mrs. Ward
You know they'll only waste away, oh

[Verse 2]
At six o'clock the lads came home from work
She told them what she'd done, they went berserk
"We'll have to go to war and fight and die"
And Mrs. Ward, she wiped a tear from her eye

[Chorus]
Don't put your boys in the army, Mrs. Ward
You know they'll only waste away, oh
Don't put your boys in the army, Mrs. Ward
You know they'll only waste away, oh
Don't put your boys in the army, Mrs. Ward
You know they'll only waste away, oh oh
Don't put your boys in the army, Mrs. Ward
You know they'll only waste away, oh
Don't put your boys in the army, Mrs. Ward
You know they'll only waste away, oh