Fish’s Tribute To Squaddies In The Gulf Scots rocker Fish is giving away a free song dedicated to British troops in the Gulf. The song, Pilgrim’s Address (A Soldier's Story), taken from the 2001 Fellini Days album, has been released on the internet, and fans are being encouraged to spread it around for free. The lyrics are a soldier’s eye view of the conflicts of the last ten years; about the people at the sharp end and their right for support and truth. The Haddington-based singer wanted to release it free as a tribute to British troops in Iraq. However, he stressed that the song is not intended to comment in any way on the rights or wrongs of the current conflict. Fish said: “After the cameras have gone and attention switches to the next international drama people often forget that the troops are still carrying a burden and dealing with a situation that is still ongoing although not as desperate or newsworthy. “Politicians can prove highly forgetful once a conflict is over. Soldiers engaged in 1991 during the last war found a number of deaf ears in government corridors when asking questions about ‘Gulf War Syndrome’ and radiation sickness caused by munitions containing depleted uranium. “Pilgrim’s Address was written after coming back from a concert tour of Kosovo where we had been playing gigs for the troops stationed out there. I tried to write it from a soldier’s perspective to remind people of the respect due to men and women serving in the armed forces and dealing with situations none of us would wish to and few of us could handle.” Releasing Pilgrim’s Address is just part of the former Marillion frontman's ongoing work for the British armed forces. For the larger part of ten years, Fish has played for our troops in hotspots around the world with the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), the charity set up to entertain and inform squaddies abroad. His concerts have brought well-earned light relief to servicemen and women in Bosnia, Kosovo and Northern Ireland, and his most recent army shows were in Brunei where he was chieftain at the local Highland Games. Fish said: “The British army go there for jungle training, and the ex-pat Scots have organised the event for years. The games are held on a beach on the South China Seas. It was great to throw a couple of gigs for the guys and girls down there as part of the visit.” “I spent a night in the sticks with guys from the Jungle Warfare Wing. It was the most exhilarating thing I'd done for a while, although on the first 40 metres climb up a near sheer face covered in barbs, vines and more creepy crawlies than you could wave a stick at, I thought I was having a heart attack. I hadn’t noticed the cliff face hiding behind the trees from the roadside! "I was only carrying 30 pounds in my back pack. The guys down there in the Gulf are carrying double that. I reckoned I'd gone through adrenalin shock. Next day was a lot easier, though, and I made double the distance from the first day with full pack. The devout Hibs fan continued: “We were picked up by helicopter from a hilltop later in the day. It was touch and go whether I got the flight, though, as the pilot was a Hearts supporter from Gilmerton and he made me beg to get on board. “The guys were great company and I can never thank them enough for the opportunity.” The release of Pilgrim’s Address (A Soldier’s Story) is part of that thank-you. MORE… Notes for editors: * Fish (real name Derek W. Dick) was singer and lyricist of Marillion until 1988 and has been a solo artist since. * As well as multiple top ten hits with Marillion, including Kayleigh, Lavender , Incommunicado and Warm Wet Circles, Fish had a Top 20 hits with Big Wedge and Credo, and top 30s with State of Mind, Internal Exile, Lady Let it Lie, Just Good Friends (with Sam Brown) and Brother 52. * Fish has also pursued a successful acting career, with appearances in Chasing The Deer, Jute City, Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star and Snoddy. His latest film, the outrageous Nine Dead Gay Guys, is currently being shown around international film festivals. He recently had to turn down a year’s run with Queen, The Musical because of family and recording commitments. * Pilgrim's Address (Soldier’s Story) was co-written in January 2001 with US musician John Wesley. Voiceovers are provided by two soldiers Fish met in Bosnia and who came to visit him at his studio. * The MP3 (full track) is available at www.the-company.com – just click the link on the front page which says Download the free MP3 of "Pilgrim's Address" * Fish’s new album A Field Of Crows is due for completion late July/early August 2003. The title based on the English translation of name for a battlefield in the Balkans: "Field of black birds". * He is currently about to play dates in Central Scotland as well as a series of Festivals in mainland Europe and planning a tour of the Highlands and Islands in July * Further information: Official web site: http://www.the-company.com Biography page: http://www.the-company.com/bio.htm Press releases and promo photos: http://www.the-company.com/promo.htm Notes for picture desks: Pictures are available at: http://www.the-company.com/promo.htm Print quality photos of Fish entertaining troops http://www.the-company.com/images/pr/fishgirls.jpg (302K, 1443 x 1050, 300 dpi, colour) http://www.the-company.com/images/pr/tank.jpg (462K, 1447 x 1594, 300 dpi, colour) Photos of Fish and band in Kosovo Dec 2000 http://www.fellinidays.com/december/dec03a.htm Movie clips of Fish and band in Kosovo Dec 2000 http://www.fellinidays.com/february/feb01.htm MORE… A Soldier’s Story (Pilgrim’s Address) Mr President, you don't know my name, But you could find it if you really cared, Because I pay my taxes and I pay my dues, All I ask for in return is the truth. Can we just be honest, I've heard that speech is free So please believe me that this address is sincere I'm no-one special, just a regular guy But I just can't keep on wondering why That the shells we fired they now kill our own And we waste away like shadows in our homes. I fell from blue skies, fought through desert storms I froze in firefights, I killed someone That had a father who loved him just like mine Who believed the sacrifice was justified In the name of freedom and in the name of God While shifting sands hid all our sins and all the blood In the wake of glory, I flew back home I watch videos at night in my uniform Of those towns and cities being blown apart By those bombs that fool the people by being smart As they flew down chimneys, flew along corridors And explode on film and everyone goes 'awe!' And you read the stories about how no-one's killed And I think about the photos that I kept To remind me that it was all for real And the ghost that I've become will be released To the sands still shifting that cover all the lies About what really happened and who really died. Was it really worth it? Was it worth the cost? Did we really take the high ground or have we lost all the moral battles, did we lose the war? Mr President I need to know for sure That with all this knowledge, all this control That we were on the right side after all That we weren't lied to, that we weren't used And the country that we fought for still upholds the truth. Mr President you don't know my name But you can find it if you really cared It's on a black wall, it's on a cross of stone In the Balkan States, the Gulf and close to home On not so foreign islands, out on city streets Mr President, just tell me why I'm here This is my question, this is my life, this is my address Mr President This is my address. ENDS