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Summarized from Harold B. Simpson's Audie Murphy - American Soldier; ©1975; Hillsboro, Texas (pp.373-376).
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POEMS: by Audie Murphy
Sponsored by the Audie Murphy Research Foundation, a non-profit, tax-deductible 501(c)(3) educational foundation recognized by the IRS.
The Crosses Grow on Anzio
by Audie Murphy
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THE CROSSES GROW ON ANZIO |
Oh, gather 'round me, comrades; and
listen while I speak
Of a war, a war, a war where hell is
six feet deep.
Along the shore, the cannons roar. Oh
how can a soldier sleep?
The going's slow on Anzio. And hell is
six feet deep.
Praise be to God for this captured sod that
rich with blood does seep.
With yours and mine, like butchered
swine's; and hell is six feet deep.
That death awaits there's no debate;
no triumph will we reap.
The crosses grow on Anzio, where hell is
six feet deep.
. . . Audie Murphy, 1948
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This poem was written in the spring of 1948 and was published in Murphy's book TO HELL AND BACK. In the the book, the poem is credited to his comrade Kerrigan but the reality is that Audie was the author. The inspiration of the poem came from David McClure who once mentioned to Audie that a surviving World War I veteran had described No Man's Land as "hell six feet deep". The phrase's ressonance appealed to Audie who then penned the poem and presented it to McClure on the next day (Simpson, page 374).
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Alone and Far Removed
by Audie Murphy
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ALONE AND FAR REMOVED |
Alone and far removed from earthly care
The noble ruins of men lie buried here.
You were strong men, good men
Endowed with youth and much the will to live.
I hear no protest from the mute lips of the dead.
They rest: there is no more to give.
So long my comrades,
Sleep ye where you fell upon the field.
But tread softly please
March O'er my heart with ease.
March on and on,
But to God alone we kneel.
. . . Audie Murphy, late 1940's
. . . Audie Murphy, 1948
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While Audie Murphy was unemployed in Hollywood before becoming a recognized actor, he spent much of his time penning poems which apparently had some therapeutic value to him. Unfortunately, few poems survived and most have been lost. Close friend Dave McClure stated that when Murphy was staying in McClure's apartment in 1947 and 1948, McClure would come home from work and "find the floor littered with poems Audie had written on scraps of paper." McClure stated "Audie wrote dozens of poems in solitude but usually threw them away" (Simpson, page 373).
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Freedom Flies in Your Heart Like an Eagle
by Audie Murphy
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FREEDOM FLIES IN YOUR HEART LIKE AN EAGLE |
Dusty old helmet, rusty old gun,
They sit in the corner and wait.
Two souvenirs of the Second World War
That have witnessed the time and the hate.
Mute witness to a time of much trouble
Where kill or be killed was the law.
Were these implements used with high honor?
What was the glory they saw?
Many times I've wanted to ask them...
And now that we're here, all alone,
Relics all three of that long ago war. . .
Where has freedom gone?
Freedom flies in your heart like an eagle.
Let it soar with the winds high above
Among the Spirits of soldiers now sleeping.
Guard with care and with love.
I salute my old friends in the corner.
I agree with all they have said . . .
And if the moment of truth comes tomorrow,
I'll be free, or by God, I'll be dead!
. . . Audie Murphy, 1968
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This is the last known existing poem of Audie Murphy. It was written as part of a speech Murphy gave at the dedication of the Alabama War Memorial at Montgomery, Alabama on July 20, 1968. The poem was later recorded to music in an arrangement written by Scott Turner. It has also found its place on engraved memorials. Without question, it is probably the best known Audie Murphy poem. (Simpson, pp.374-376).
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