Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song: Old Barbed Wire, The (I Know Where They Are) DESCRIPTION: "If you want to find the privates, I know where they are (x3) -- They're up to their knees in mud (or: "Hanging on the old barbed wire"). I saw them...." Meanwhile, the captains, colonels, and generals enjoy themselves and stay away from the fighting AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg) KEYWORDS: soldier war FOUND IN: US REFERENCES (4 citations): Sandburg, pp. 442-443, "Where They Were" (1 text, 1 tune) Lomax-ABFS, pp. "If You Want to Know Where the Privates Are" (1 text, 1 tune) Niles/Moore, pp. 59-62, "If You Want to Know Where the Privates Are (1 text, 1 tune) DT, BARBWIRE Roud #9618 CROSS-REFERENCES: cf. "Grouse, Grouse, Grouse" (theme of generals being safe while soldiers fight) ALTERNATE TITLES: If You Want to See the Captain I'll Tell You Where They Were NOTES: Internal evidence clearly dates this to the First World War, with its trenches and barbed wire and mud that threatened to swallow the Allied armies whole. Jerry Silverman includes it in his book Ballads & Songs of WWI, without indication of source. What's more, until WWI, officers -- including brigade and sometimes even divisional officers -- were expected to lead their men from the front. Only in the twentieth century did officers become so valuable that they were allowed to "lead" from the rear. But I know of no actual testimony to the song from soldiers of that war. - RBW Last updated in version 3.3 File: San442
Go to the Ballad Search form Go to the Ballad Index Song List Go to the Ballad Index Instructions Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography The Ballad Index Copyright 2016 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle. We have two versions in the Digital Tradition. Here's the first one: I'LL TELL YOU WHERE THEY ARE
If you want to know where the generals were, I'll tell you where they were, Yes, I'll tell you where they were, Oh, I'll tell you where they were, If you want to know where the generals were, I'll tell you where they were, Back in gay Paree! (Spoken) How do you know? I saw them! I saw them! Back in gay Paree! I saw them, Back in gay Paree!
If you want to know where the colonels were, Way behind the lines.
...the majors Playing with the mademoiselles.
...the captains Down in the deep dugout.
...the sergeants Drinking up the privates' rum.
...the privates Up to their necks in mud!
(From Dolph, "Sound Off")
It appears that the song was sung in the trenches early in World War I. Perhaps with reference to the Battle of the Somme, a new verse was added for British versions:
If you want to find the regiment (If you want the old battalion) ... I saw them, dangling on the old barbed wire.
Later still, this was combined with the previous verse and became: If you want to see the Privates, I know where they are, ... They're dangling on the old barbed wire. (They are hanging on the front line wire)
There are many American and British versions. Some of the variations: I know where they are (or were) I know where he is
Our Seargent - He is lying on the canteen floor Clipping the old barbed wire.
Our Quartermaster - boozing on the Private's rum
Our General - miles and miles behind the Line
The Lieutenants - riding the Sergeant's ass.
The Privates may be "Up to (various body parts) in mud"
Sometimes: If you want the bloody general - etc
--- Endless take-offs are possible: If you want to find your husband . . .
--- Some Books it's in: Brophy and Partridge: _Songs and Slang of the British Soldier_, 1930 Lomax, Amer Ballads & Folk Songs, 1934 Carl Sandburg, American Songbag, 1927 JJ Niles and Douglas Moore, Illustrated by A.A.Walgren, Songs My Mother Never Taught Me, 1929 EA Dolph, Sound Off, 1929 Roy Palmer, What a Lovely War - British Soldiers Songs from the Boer War to the Present Day, 1990
J B Priestly, From Margin Released, 1962, observed that 'In the trenches the troops would sing a wide range of songs, including the marching songs, nonsense songs and other popular songs of the time. The patriotic songs seem to be unknown.'
On record: "If You Want to Find the Colonel", on Bob Davenport's "Postcards Home" (Topic, c. 1977). --- Some other titles: "I'll Tell You Where They Were." "If You Want to Know Where the Privates Are" --- Contributors: Eric Berge, J.J.Farrell, George Hawes, Sam Hinton, Tom Morgan, John Moulden, Chris Ryall, Abby Sale, Paul J. Stamler
@Army @soldier @WWI filename[ BARBWIRE AJS oct97 And the second: HANGING FROM THE OLD BARBED WIRE
If you want to find the Sargeant, I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is. If you want to find the Sargeant, I know where he is, He's drunk on the dug-out floor.
cho: I saw him, I saw him, Drunk on the dug-out floor, I saw him, Drunk on the dug-out floor.
If you want to find the Captain He's off on a seven-day leave
If you want to find the Colonel He's pinning another medal on his chest
If you want the old battalion, We know where they are, We know where they are, We know where they are. If you want the old battalion, We know where they are, They're hangin' on the old barbed wire.
We've seen them, We've seen them, Hangin' on the old barbed wire, We've seen them, Hangin' on the old barbed wire.
@Army @WWI filename[ OLDBARB AG OCT98 I wish the DT could come up with a consistently correct spelling of "Sergeant."
|