...... but on the other hand!
It’s not easy to leave the Royal Air Force,
With a smile on your face, it is true.
For a start you’re too young to be finished,
And to stop wearing blue, makes you blue.
It’s a wrench to be told you’re not wanted,
That your tools of the trade are expired.
Here you are, at the peak of your mountain,
And the ropes cut, farewell, you’re retired.
There’s no fun out there being a civvie
You are no longer ‘Licenced to Kill’.
They go tense if you ‘top’ your opponents,
Make mistakes, and they send you the bill.
Where’s the flair when you’re not in the Service?
Out of uniform you’re off the track.
They laugh at the clothes you are wearing.
Should I ditch these, are flares coming back?
In civvie street sport is a business.
And payment is needed to play.
Try swimming, or tennis, or football,
The cost will turn you quite grey.
Being ill is a real painful business.
Nothing’s free with the old ‘National Health’,
Pulling teeth is a guinea a minute,
It can seriously damage your wealth.
There is also a problem with housing.
In ‘Quarters’ the rent is quite low.
But the civvies aren’t bothered by ‘March-Outs’,
When they leave, the dirt doesn’t go!
They don’t have ‘Disturbance Allowance’,
When they travel to work they must pay.
Their holidays aren’t very often,
And the Unions have now had their day.
So be warned on those days when you’re grumpy,
And life is a pain in the bum.
Be thankful you’re still in the Air Force,
And not a civilian like some.
ERB (Written in 1993 as I retired after 13 years in the RAF)