Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson

Subject: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: GUEST,Steven Clark (formerly Scabby Douglas)
Date: 04 Mar 24 - 12:06 PM

Hello.

I tried searching for info about this song, but can't find a way to get around the 500 error.

Does anyone know who made the song "Spring 1919" that's on Coope Boyes and Simpson's "As If.." album?

I have lyrics from the dreaded Spotify, but just wanted to check them

Thanks in advance

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: Reinhard
Date: 04 Mar 24 - 12:58 PM

SPRING 1919
(Jim Boyes)

The longest night of darkest dreams heralds the new tomorrow
The morning light, the bright sunbeams can only soften sorrow
From deepest winters harshest cold, there comes a hint of warming gold
And spring returns with tales untold, the frozen earth to borrow

Where winters snow has barely gone, a snowdrop proudly glistens
Hie Robin sings his joyful song if only you would listen
And fractured earth is turning green where only brown and red were seen
And agony has turned serene where sanity went missing

The farmer looks to find his home among the fields of battle
He cannot sing to mark his world, nor even call his cattle
His only comfort is the sky, which stays the same as years go by
But through the tears that dim his eye the misty cannons rattle

Heroes returned to foreign lands have memories to smother
They’ll turn their hands to peaceful work, not like their lonely brother
Who’ll work with gas and shells somehow each time he yokes his careful plough
And with the sweat of his own brow, he’ll venture to recover

In Flanders fields the poppies grow as part of every season
Through winter’s blast the wounds still show as if there was a reason
To show the world the hidden pain, that spring will come and clothe again
But underneath the scars remain and will for generations

There is a story in the Westhoek in Belgium about a farmer who comes back to where he used to live after the First World War and rebuilds his farmhouse. Later, when officialdom arrives to redraw maps and plans, he finds that he has built the house in a different place. Electicity poles in the area are designed with specially-shaped holes in which farmers can deposit recently ploughed-up ordnance. (Jim)

From Coope Boyes & Simpson, As If… (No Masters NMCD35, 2010)

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: cnd
Date: 04 Mar 24 - 12:59 PM

The release (click - thanks to Reinhard for his magnificent website) credits the songwriting to Jim Boyes.

Trusting the lyrics here, the song seems to be about the destruction of western European farmland during the First World War. The title implies this, to me, as well.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 04 Mar 24 - 01:34 PM

CBS produced a lot of work centred around the Great War, in particular concerning the battles of Passchendaele in Flanders. They took part in the Peace Concerts Passchendaele, and their album ‘The Passchendaele Suite’ featured music from the concerts. Lester Simpson is an old ship-mate from my tall-ship sailing years, and we had numerous conversations about, inter alia, the peace concerts and those who performed in them, the performances in Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ieper and, of course, the songs.

Peace Concerts Passchendaele - ‘Seeds of Peace - Tyne Cot at Night’

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 04 Mar 24 - 01:37 PM

Spring 1919

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: GUEST,Steven Clark
Date: 05 Mar 24 - 04:28 AM

Many thanks to all who have answered.

I suspected that it was possibly by Jim Boyes, but Spotify does not have the songwriting credit listed.

Much appreciated.

Steven

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 05 Mar 24 - 08:13 AM

Definitely by Jim Boyes
as mentioned in posts above and CND's link to the Mainlynorfolk page
& I've got a songsheet for a choir run by Lester Simpson :
'Jim Boyes [I'm presuming words & tune]
arr CBS
transcribed & adapted for mixed voices by Janet Russell'

The words I have are identical to Reinhard's post above.

NB (Unless they edit it later) there are lots of mistakes on the mojim.com page link in CND's post. [posted a minute after Reinhard ;)].

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 05 Mar 24 - 08:20 AM

;) sorry

I'd read that as
I suspect that it was possibly



I'll wash myglasses

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: GUEST,Steven Clark (formerly Scabby Douglas)
Date: 05 Mar 24 - 11:38 AM

Hi Freddy.

Could you wash mine too, while you're at it?

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Spring 1919' - Coope Boyes and Simpson
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 07 Apr 24 - 03:21 PM

Jim and Georgina Boyes had decided to move to Belgium. They bought a house in Heuvelland on the French/Belgian border, with views stretching as far as the coast. In spring 2009, Jim was despatched to their new house with instructions to write some new songs - songs about anything but the First World War! He returned home with Spring 1919.

We visited their new home, and admired the view. Jim came in and said, "I was digging the garden, and I dug up this." He opened his fist to reveal a machine gun bullet. He continued, "In the next spadeful, I found these." He opened his other fist to reveal two more. He concluded, "After that, I stopped digging!"