The sands of the desert were cruel and stark,
They burned in the day and they chilled in the dark.
On that vast battleground on the eve of the fight,
The candle that burns, inspired them that night.
The brine of the ocean was freezing and cold,
The boys became men and the men became bold.
But they died just the same in the damp and the wet.
The candle that burns will not let us forget.
The candle that burns in the chapel will be
Left to burn where it stands in a world that is free.
Do not cry little one, for no one will take
The candle that burns on your first birthday cake.
The sky was not meant to be shattered that way
With shells that exploded the night into day.
And each time they returned on a wing and a prayer,
The candle that burns was a welcoming there.
The candle that burns in the chapel will be
Left to burn where it stand in a world that is free,
Do not cry little one, for no one will take
The candle that burns on your first birthday cake.