Anthem for Doomed Youth chords by The Libertines

The song references Rudyard Kipling's 1890 poem. Set in British India, it tells the story of Gunga Din, an Indian water-carrier. Despite being mistreated by the English soldiers, he tends to the wounded on the battlefield, but one of them will cost him his life. The poem is written from the point of view of the rescued soldier. The chorus of the song echoes the famous final lines, "Though I've belted you and flayed you,/By the living Gawd that made you,/⁠You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!" The lyrics combine The Libertines' love for literature with Pete Doherty's (voice, guitar) and Carl Barât's (voice, guitar) history of addiction. The two songwriters regret their past behaviour and express admiration for all the Gunga Dins out there, the people who haven't given in to drugs or alcohol despite having experienced hardship themselves. In an arguably severe self-judgement, they are defined "better men" than the lyricists. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.