Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody

Subject: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Mikey joe
Date: 17 Oct 01 - 06:45 AM

Frae a friend o mine...

Heard a brilliant "pulling the piss" version of The Green Fields of France last week. Two lines I can remember: "I left a wife and a sweetheart behind, When the wife found out she went bloody wild"

and

"While the boys played football in the forest"

Would you know the rest of the words or where I might find them. It was absolutely priceless.

Cheers

Mj

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Wolfgang
Date: 17 Oct 01 - 09:23 AM

must be this here

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 17 Oct 01 - 10:54 AM

There's another brilliant parody by Fintan Vallely, adapted from a parody by Crawford Howard, containing the wonderful line "rusty shrapnel's too good for you, Willy McBride".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 05:15 AM

Just thought I'd mention, the song is called 'No Mans Land' not Green Fields of France. And the CORRECT words were recorded by June Tabor many years ago.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Lanfranc
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 07:29 AM

You know that, and I know that, and just about most Mudcatters know that, GUEST.

First time I heard it (by June Tabor) I felt a chill. The next time (by the late, great Alex Campbell) there was a silence when the song finished that was almost tangible.

That was long ago, and many of us feel a moratorium should be declared. Once the Hibernians got hold of it, changed the title and adopted it on the basis that "Willie McBride" must have been Irish (why not Scottish?), the downhill slide began. Now it can cast a blight on a singaround from the mere introduction, and the only acceptable version is a parody.

A sad fate for a once-powerful song, sadder yet for the writer, Eric Bogle, who probably hasn't even had the compensation of receiving vast wodges of Performing Rights fees. "It's Traditional Irish, isn't it?"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 07:59 AM

Dear Lanfranc

Some good points there about 'No Man's Land'. As it happens, I'm fond of the version by The Men They Couldn't Hang but that's just me.

Interesting point, however, about the phenomenon for songs by identified, living authours to get lumped together as 'trad. arr..' especially when people assume they're Irish songs. Lots of people still seem to asssume that the Irish invented traditional music and they are the only ones who've got any of it. i wonder if Nic Jones got anything out of Mary Black after she pinched 'Annachie Gordon' (yes, I know it's traditional) or 'Rose Of Allandale' (an English victorian poular song) or from Christy Moore for nicking his arangement of 'Little Musgrave'?

Before anyone starts, I'm Irish myself but I often feel quite embarrassed by the lack of interest on the part of many Irish singers as to the source of so many of these songs. Plus, of course, people get gipped out of royalties. Ask Jimmy Crowley...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Mikey joe
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 08:49 AM

Correct Brendan Shine paid him a pound to wash down his old lobby.

I don't know anyone who claimed No Mans Land as Irish. people may assume that as possibly the most popular version is by the Fureys. And it is more likely that Willie MacBride is Scottish.

How many poeple think Christy Moore wrote Ride On or Missing You. Many people just associate the song with the singer. I don't think there is anything underhand in it.

Mj

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Lanfranc
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 09:32 AM

Chris B, stick around!

I have a reputation for being something of a curmudgeon on the subject of the Irish adoption of songs and tunes. There could be an element of sour grapes there somewhere. I once did a gig in an Irish folk club and was told after my set, "Sure, 'tis a pity you're not Irish, I could get you loads of gigs if you were!" I nearly changed my name to Declan O'Flaherty on the spot, but, damn it, I'm English!!

I digress (as usual). The automatic assumption that, once a song or tune has been sung or played by an Irish artist, it falls into the public domain under "Irish Trad" goes back at least 40 years to the Dubliners and "Wild Rover". That poor, unassuming, singalong song was collected in Norfolk, England, from a Mr Larner, if I remember right. Much though I admire Christy Moore, Planxty et al, they have been among the worst perpetrators. Si Kahn's "Aragon Mill" got the treatment, as well as those listed by Mj, and Moore's "Irish Ballad" version of "Lord Baker" was so dreadful that it did at least get me to research a decent version of "Lord Bateman" on which it was (loosely) based.

Perhaps the whole thing comes back to attribution. I always try to make a point of nominating the source of any song I sing, unless it is sufficiently well-known not to need it. If everyone did that, a lot of misunderstandings and misattributions would be avoided.

Micca Patterson does the best parody of "No Man's Land" that I've heard, and I think that his is the one in DT.

Dismounting from hobby horse and heading off to work!

Alan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 03:06 PM

Let's not forget Stephen Suphet's Reply. It makes the point that however good a song the original was, It is not appropriate to sit on a dead soldiers grave and remark that he probably did not know what he was fighting for, and that it was all pointless anyway.
Keith

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: GUEST,a music lover
Date: 25 May 08 - 06:28 PM

Look, just lyrics no good. Just chords to one verse and one chorus no good. I want every verse and chorus posted with accompanying chords. I do not want to have to scroll back to the first soddin verse to get the chords for the second and third and fourth. All lyrics all chords. How hard can it be.
Not a one of you bothered to do this with one of the best anytype songs of all time.
Shame on you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Don Firth
Date: 25 May 08 - 07:15 PM

Standard form for song sheets is all words written out, but chords supplied for first verse and chorus only. I have several notebooks filled with song sheets like this.

Having them printed out and in a notebook, I don't need to "scroll back to the first soddin verse" to see what the chords are because, with the minimum effort of lifting my eyes up on the page a bit, I can keep track of where I am harmonically, if need be. Besides, I only use the song sheets when memorizing the song in the first place, or to refresh my memory if I need to if I haven't sung the song in awhile.

If you like chords with every verse, stir yourself, cut and paste to a word processing program, then put the bloody chords in yourself. It takes a few minutes, but it isn't that hard.

Just be damned glad someone gave you the words and chords at all. Temper tantrums and demands don't get a helluva lot of sympathy or cooperation around here.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Barbara
Date: 25 May 08 - 09:50 PM

And my favorite parody -- so far -- is this one here, also listed at the top of the thread as Nobody's Moggyland. It combines two songs written by Eric Bogle -- the tune and structure of No man's Land, and the plot of Noboby's Moggy Now. penned by Bob Kanefsky
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: quokka
Date: 26 May 08 - 07:31 AM

To Guest A music lover: I agree with Don Firth. Iv'e been on Mudcat for only a few weeks and I can't get over how generous Mudcatters are with their time, wisdom and knowledge. You don't have to take the advice but please don't complain about what you are freely given!
Quokka

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Green Fields of France Parody
From: Muttley
Date: 26 May 08 - 09:10 AM

Lanfranc posted:   "Once the Hibernians got hold of it, changed the title and adopted it on the basis that "Willie McBride" must have been Irish (why not Scottish?), ...."

Two things that point out that Willie was Irish:

Firstly - his surname "Mc" is generally Irish Gaelic for "Son of" whilst the Scottish is generally spelled "Mac".

Secondly; the song clearly states -

"And, though you died back in 1916,
To that loyal heart are you forever 19?"

The only 'Private Willie McBride' who died in 1916 and AGED 19 when he was killed in February of that year - and buried in a northern French War Cemetery was:
William McBride; Pvte. Service Number 21046 of the Royal Inniskillen Fusiliers. Killed on Feb 10th, 1916 (between the fighting in the Battles for Loos and prior to the Somme Offensive lead-up.

I once wrote to Bogle about this and his reply - and fairly succinct, was a simple - "That sounds like the one"

Muttley.

Steve Suffet also believes he was Irish - not sure he spoke to Bogle - but in messages back and forth between us I believe he said he HAD spoken to Bogle about his own "Willie McBride's Reply" and Bogle had not taken him to task for the lines -
"And call it ironic that I was cut down;
While in Dublin my kinfolk were fightin' the Crown.
But in Dublin or Flanders the cause was the same:
To resist the oppressor; whatever his name"