Songfacts®:

• The fact that this harmony-fueled arena anthem features lead vocals by Carl Barat is down to Pete Doherty's bad time-keeping. "Those bastards recorded it when I was asleep," the Libertines co-vocalist explained to NME. "I was supposed to be lead vocal on that song and rather childishly refused to do harmonies. 'If I'm not doing lead I'm not doing anything.'"
  
  "I don't want you to think that I didn't have more than a fair share of writing on it," Doherty added. "It's strictly Doherty and Barat that one, but time and tide waits for no man. I slept in and he'd gone and laid down the vocals. He said if I didn't like it we could do them again, but everyone was like, 'Oh, Carl's done such great vocals, you've got to hear it.'"
• The song title references Wilfred Owen's First World War poem of the same name. Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson often recites the first half of the poem during live performances of the band's song "Paschendale." while attired in the type of uniform worn by World War One-era British Infantry men.