Seven years in the sand
Tom, 1966
Seven years in the sand
Seems a long time somehow
Never mind, Tosh, you'll soon be dead
A hundred years from now.
From: Ewan MacColl
About
I thought of this as the shortest song I had ever heard, and was taken by its (not entirely clarified) philosophical standpoint. Unfortunately the song goes on (I have subsequently found out) and rather weakens the philosophical bit. So - as I have done before - I make do with the bit that stuck in my mind.
The seven years in the sand are the seven years the 8th Army (tanks - eventually under Montgomery) spent in the North African deserts.
Tosh is a nickname for a soldier.