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.
The initial lyrics that emerged in my mind were 'can you halt the nobility', focusing on the gallant soldiers of the Crimean War, particularly the Charge of the Light Brigade. The song eventually evolved into Stop the Cavalry, expanding its scope to cover all wars and soldiers.