The first lyrics I thought of were actually 'can you stop the gallantry', about the gallant soldiers of the Crimean War and especially the charge of the Light Brigade. This later became Stop the Cavalry and I widened the perspective of the song to be about all wars and all soldiers." He would later use an eight-track recorder to improve the song which was then taken up by Dave Robinson at Stiff Records.
Initially, I thought of lyrics starting with 'can you cease the chivalry', focusing on the heroic soldiers of the Crimean War, especially the ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade. The song eventually transformed into Stop the Cavalry, expanding its scope to cover all conflicts and combatants.