No fancypants Latin from me - just two contributions c/o Martin Page's Kiss Me Goodnight, Sergeant Major: The Songs and Ballads of World War II. These are the kinds of barrack room ballads that have been doing the rounds since Pontius was a Pilot; the examples below are from Egypt and Libya c. 1940-1942, and the first has a rather touching simplicity to it as well as a geographical resonance today which needs no introduction.
Desert Blues.
I'm just tired of seeing Eastern moons,
Bright red sunsets and shining sand dunes.
Must get away,
I've got the desert blues.
Miles of sand whichever way I look,
Swell but only in a fairytale book,
All I can say,
I've got the desert blues.
Camels galore, goats by the score,
Must go before it gets me down,
I never knew I could be so blue,
Just take me to a respectable town.
I'm just tired of domes and minarets,
Eastern sunsets and the sillhouettes,
Tired of it all,
I've got the desert blues.
An earthier interpretation of the same mood is available below.
Tobruk Song.
Because I'm fucked off, fucked off,
Fucked off as can be,
Fucked off, fucked off, fucked off lads are we.
And when this war is over,
And once again I'm free,
There'll be no more fucking soldiering for me.