Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away

Subject: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From:
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 01:56 AM

Hi, I hope someone can help me. My family and I recently started watching the "Sharpe" videos (based on the Bernard Cornwell books). Lots of wonderful music. There is one particular song that we would like a recording of. It is, I believe, either an old folk tune or based on one. These are partial lyrics: "O'er the hills and o'er the main Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain King George commands and we obey O'er the hills and far away." They repeat the song frequently throughout the series. If they have a CD of the music from this sereies, that would be great (I haven't found anything yet) but I'd just be happy to know the title, the complete lyrics and if I can find the tune somewhere. If you'd be so kind as to email me as well as post a message here (I don't get to stop by all that often.) Thank you! Alicia G.

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 02:53 AM

Hi - we've got lots of songs with that title, but I think this one (click) is the one you want. If you search for [hills and far way] in square brackets, you'll find other versions - tunes, too.
-Joe Offer (also sent by e-mail)-

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Lesley N.
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 06:32 AM

The words in Sharpe's Rifles were written by John Tams - who played Rifleman Daniel Hagman in the series. They are absolutely fantastic. Tams has been a professional musician for over 25 years - was musical director to Brilly Bryden's Company at the Royal Theatre for tendyears and is a former member of the Albion Band.

You can purchase the album only in the UK - but thanks to the Internet you can do so anywhere in the world. The album at Amazon and other US places IS NOT the Sharpe's Rifles Album. The words are on the CD jacket. I can't recommend it highly enough. GREAT version of Over the Hills - a wonderful ballad adaptation of Spanish Ladies - (more the lyrics than the tune - but it's the Spanish Bride), Superb version of Johnny's Gone for a Soldier (second to Mark O'connor's on the Liberty! album - with James Taylor). And True Lover's Farewell, Kate Rusby does a fantastic version of Brken Hearted Will I Wander... Did I say I liked the album?

You can purchase it at CDZone
The Sharpe CD is VTCD81, the cassette is VTMC81. If anyone finds a place you can get it from which the cat will get a cut, please post it!

Subject: Lyr Add: OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY
From: Lesley N.
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 06:44 AM

Added to the above. Here are the Tams lyrics.
Additional lyrics by John Tams

Here's forty shillings on the drum
For those who'll volunteer to come
To 'list and fight the foe today
Over the Hills and Far Away

CHORUS: O'er the Hills and o'er the main,
Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain
King George commands and we obey,
Over the Hills and far Away

When duty calls me, I must go,
To stand and face another foe
But part of me will always stray,
Over the Hills and Far Away

If I should fall to rise no more,
As many comrades did before
Then ask the fifes and drums to play,
Over the hills and far away

Then fall in lads behind the drum,
With colours blazing like the sun
Along the road to come what may,
Over the hills and far away.


It's one of my favorite tunes. Bruce has information and lyrics on it at his website under The Recruiting Officer

I have a midi and lyrics of the George Farqhuar version at: Over the Hills and Far Away. (http://www.contemplator.com/folk3/overhls.html)

Barry Taylor's midi and lyrics of the John Gay version are at: this page. (http://www.contemplator.com/tunebook/englmidi/overhill.htm)

(I don't normally plug a lot here - but can't help it with this tune!)

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Lesley N.
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 06:49 AM

Look at those typos! Well, the only one that's really bad is in the first verse "right" should be "fight"... sorry..

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Legal Eagle
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 06:43 PM

On the right evening and after enough beer you can sometimes start a good fistfight between the re-enactors and the morrismen by asking whether it should be "King George commands" or "Queen Anne commands". Sometimes works with different morris sides too.

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Lesley N.
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 07:54 PM

Given it first appears in 1706 Queen would be right - but given folk music is a living thing George must have been used a lot longer!

Fights? I really must learn more about morris dancing. I believe someone told me Morris dances were based on ancient fertility rituals, descended from the ancient practice of dancing the corn maze...

And there was a quote, "Try everything once except incest and morris dancing." Not to offend the morris dancers out there - is this really a wild group or are they getting a bad rap?

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Paul Jay
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 11:10 PM

They (Morris Dancers) do tend to drink to excess on ocassion (any) and wack away at each other with those bloody big sticks, and break each others arms and wrists every once in a while when they combine the drinking and the wacking. Great people though. If you have never seen Morris Dancers you must seek them out. Espically on Mayday (for the fertility bit).

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Paul Jay
Date: 11 Jul 99 - 11:23 PM

Lesley I forgot to add this link. Morris Dancers I hope it works. Cheers

Subject: RE: 'O'er the Hills and Far Away'
From: Lesley N.
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 08:12 AM

How interesting! I'll have to look for something around Washington - would love to see it. Thanks for the link!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: GUEST,www.mattyk.co.uk
Date: 11 Apr 09 - 08:18 PM

my favorite is sharpes waterloo when you see napolean bonepart (cant spell) my dad and i loved them. the music is great too. my fav

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: katlaughing
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 01:11 AM

Thanks for this thread and for the lyrics. Our local PBS just started running the Sharpe's series, better late than never, eh, and I was quite taken with the songs, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: Joe Nicholson
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 12:23 PM

the books are a great read to.

Joe Nicholson

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 12:37 PM

Saw a Sharpe's episode last night. Lots of Indians and British killed, the exploding shells scared the dog. Flashman much better.
Doubt if I'll watch much of it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 12:39 AM

Thanks, Joe. I thought I'd like to read them after seeing that last night.

Q, that was just one of many of the series according to the author
s website...maybe there are others which wouldn't bother you as much, or the puir dog.:-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 01:41 AM

Why has nobody thruout this long thread related the "Queen Anne commands" variant to the original nursery rhyme about Tom the Piper's Son: not the one who stole the pig, but the one who

"Learned to play when he was young;
And the only tune that he could play
Was 'Over the hills and far away'.
Over the hills and a great way off
The wind shall blow my topknot off"?

Nor to D'Urfey's "Johnny met with Jenny fair"?

(both of which precede the Recruiting Officer version)

And thence to its, perhaps best-known, prior to Sharpe, derivative, later than the "Queen Anne" version, "Were I laid on Greenland's Coast" in John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" [1728]?

{I think, btw, that it was T S Eliot who remarked somewhere that he considered "Over the hills and far away" the most perfectly poetically resonant phrase he could think of. Can anyone confirm or specify this ref?}

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: GUEST,Ralphie
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 01:47 AM

Q: Can you play Over the hills and far away?
A: No, But I can play in a Monestary garden...will that do?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 03:38 PM

For them as wants it, Sharpe, complete collection, about 25 hours on 15 discs, is available for $349.98 from www.BBCCanadaShop.ca.
Probably cheaper at Amazon.

Me, I'll take Lovejoy- or Fawlty Towers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: IanC
Date: 31 Mar 10 - 05:13 PM

I've asded a link to my web page of notes on this song in case it might be helpful. As well as the neat stuff at the top, it includes a collation of versions and other notes from various sources including other peoples' web sites.

Over The Hills And Far Away

:-)
Ian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: Joe_F
Date: 31 Mar 10 - 06:17 PM

See also
Lyr Req: Over...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O'er the Hills and Far Away
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 31 Mar 10 - 09:44 PM

For interest, Martin Carthy's version has as 3rd line "Enlist and enter into pay" instead of variants of "Let us list & march, I say" in most of versions in IanC's most helpful compilation two posts back.