Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song

Subject: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 05:03 PM

Here's a song I wrote back in 2004, the Iraq war being the catalyst that made me put pen to paper.
The tune I use is "The Rising of the Moon/The Wearing of the Green" - the verse part only of course!
The verses go in pairs, verses 1,3,5,7 & 9 being sung briskly, whilst
verses 2,4,6 & 8 are sung slowly and sadly.
The last two lines are sung slowly.
I've sung it a few times but it's doing no good stuck in my song book and in my head!!

If it stikes a chord with anyone, please use it - attibutions and aknowledgements gratefully recieved.
If you don't like it - well forget about it.

regards Jake


*******************************************************
                Tommy Atkins

                by Jake Wade

Well, come, tell me Tommy Atkins, tell me why you hurry so?
There's a war being fought out in the east, it's there I have to go
To fight for Queen and country is all that I've trained for
With my rucksack and my rifle I will go and fight the war

Come now, tell me, Mother Atkins, tell me why you walk so slow?
I'm going to a funeral and I don't want to go
He was the youngest of my boys, the last to leave the nest
And he died beneath the desert stars, a bullet through his breast


Well, come, tell me Jolly Jack, tell me why you hurry so?
There's a war being fought out in the east, it's there I have to go
And I'll serve my Queen and country the best that I know how
In a frigate or a cruiser, I promise and I vow

Come now tell me Mrs Jolly Jack, why you walk so slow?
I'm going to a funeral and I don't want to go
He was young and he was handsome and I loved him more than life
But his ship was sunk beneath him, I'm a widow not a wife


Well, come, tell me Squadron Leader, tell me why you hurry so?
There's a war being fought out in the east, it's there I have to go
I'll fly high o'er the battlefield and dive out of the sun
I'll strafe and kill the enemy, that's how the job is done

Come now tell me pilot's daughter, tell me why you walk so slow?
I'm going to a funeral and I don't want to go
For he was the best of fathers, though we argued now and then
He was brought down by friendly fire, I'll ne'er see him again


Well, come, tell to me, bold Light Dragoon, why you hurry so?
There's a war being fought out in the east, it's there I have to go
And we'll be riding on our tanks with our pennants overhead
For honour and for glory, best be quick or you'll be dead

Come now tell me red-eyed, grey haired man, why do you walk so slow?
I'm going to a funeral and I don't want to go
for my grandson was a trooper in a war so far away
And a soldier's death in battle was the price we had to pay


Well, come, tell to me Tony Blair, why you hurry so?
To send our boys to battle, tell me why they have to go?
You may have your vote in parliament, God may be on your side
But tell us please the reason why our soldier boys have died

Come now, tell me, Mother Atkins, tell me why you walk so slow?
I'm going to a funeral and I don't want to go

© Jake Wade

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: GUEST,Greycap
Date: 05 Jul 06 - 07:55 PM

I really like that. It encompasses the entire thing beautifully. You have written a great song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 10:55 AM

Greycap, thanks for reading the lyrics and posting your kind comments.
I've only sung it about 4/5 times in a couple of clubs/sessions locally so I thought I'd try to give it a bit of publicity by putting it on Mudcat !!
Things are not yet settled in Iraq and Afganistan seems to be kicking off again.

regards
Jake

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 11:45 AM

A good song, Jake, and sad.   We now have sports rather than the spectacle in the Roman Coliseum; maybe someday we'll come up with an accepted alternative for war.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 11:59 AM

Jake, I like it very much! It would work well with a chorus for people to join in. it would break up the form a little bit and provide contrast. Keep writing! It's so important!

Something like: "It's the wearin' of the brown, it's the wearin' of the brown.
They give you guns and weapons and they'll try to cut you down"........(not this but something like it to bring in the audience.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Teribus
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 07:47 PM

Keep singing it Jake, it is an amazingly banal and unoriginal song (please note that to date no ship has been sunk beneath anybody) and I would advise that you leave it in the bag if playing at Catterick, Aldershot or Plymouth.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 07:58 PM

A political song doesn't have to be very original to be effective.

I am getting mightily pissed off with songs that treat the deaths of these mercenary scum as the central problem (or even a very important one), though. What about the vastly greater number of victims they've taken good wages to torture and kill?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Alba
Date: 08 Jul 06 - 10:15 PM

Very supportive Teribus....now why not post one of your self penned "pro" War Songs.
You being a self proclaimed Expert and all.
Generally it is considered good form that if you don't have anything good to say to another Musicain about their work because you happen to disagree with their Politics, say NOTHING regarding that particular piece of Work. For when one offers an opinion based on a mindset rather than on the Music their Heart is not in what they are saying, only their head.
Songwriting comes from the Heart.
Let's see your Heart Teribus.

Good Luck to you Jake. Thank you for sharing your Music with us.
Keep doing what you do and you know your doing something right when you write a Song that pisses off people who hold an opposing viewpoint from your own!
J

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: stallion
Date: 09 Jul 06 - 06:37 AM

I once witnessed an exchange between two gentlemen at a house party on long island, both had very polarised views on the legitamcy of the Iraq war. Both being musicians and singers rubbed along really well together.   When it came to the Iraq war the quote from one was " Well I guess we will have to agree that we disagree" So, should politics judge a piece of music? Well of course it should, everyone is subjective. We make sense of the world we inhabit through, amongst other things, music and song, a sense of belonging, inclusion and being part of something larger I suppose makes us feel more secure and music, tradition, is part of that. I respect other peoples position so long as it does not offend what I percieve to be immoral and, as it might be clear, that is subjective, "one mans meat is another mans poison". I think one can criticise a melody or the words, one can register a disagreement with the content but not rubbish a song because you do not agree with it's politics. So this songs melody has been around for years the words are new, folk will either sing it or they won't, time will be the ultimate critic.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 12 Jul 06 - 04:33 PM

Jack Campin wrote ..
" ... I am getting mightily pissed off with songs that treat the deaths of these mercenary scum as the central problem (or even a very important one), though. What about the vastly greater number of victims they've taken good wages to torture and kill? ... "

Well, I wrote the song I wanted to write.
If you have a different point of view to express, then that requires a different song.
Soo, get writing.

Jake

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: GUEST,Terry Allan Hall
Date: 12 Jul 06 - 05:09 PM

Excellent!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Terry Allan Hall
Date: 14 Jul 06 - 08:04 PM

Jake, I must confess that I posted your song on Harmony-Central and inadvertantly left off your credits, due to being in a hurry to leave for a gig. I've since corrected this, and just wanted to apologize to you.

BTW, everybody seems to like it a lot!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Flash Company
Date: 15 Jul 06 - 10:47 AM

Nice one, Jake! I don't do serious very often myself, but if I do, I hope it is as good as that.

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 15 Jul 06 - 12:01 PM

Jack, a song doesn't have to be original to be good. You're right. Check most folk songs that are not original but come from different sources.

As to banal, that's in the ear of the beholder.

As to factual, facts are not as important as artistry and feeling in a song.

Many folk songs are not factual but they convey feelings that are important.

Frank

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 15 Jul 06 - 12:05 PM

BTW, my good friend Tommy Makem could use words of encouragement right now.
He's putting a brave face on what appears to be a lung tumor.

Tommy did the best version of "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya"I ever heard ever., a song that was the inspiration for this rewrite.   I think Tommy would appreciate it.


Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: GUEST,Songsmith
Date: 16 Jul 06 - 05:34 AM

Hello Folks,

After reading all of the above I thought I'd post one of my war related songs.

Looking forward to the response be it negative or positive.

Jim

"Remembrance Day" (© Jim Hanlon SOCAN/05)

They march today "lest we forget"
The painful cost of freedom quest
Where death and horror knew no rest
They gave their better years
I see them struggle with their pride
Their fight to hold the pain inside
Of sorrows etched in heart and mind
For all those left behind

As I watch them slowly march away
My thoughts are lost to boyhood days
When classmates read from tattered page
The poem of Flanders Fields
Thankful I have learned with time
The message deep within those lines
For warriors are of you and I
They loved, they laughed, they cried

I turn to see a child at play
With no thought of sacrifices made
No thought of this Remembrance Day
Of those who march him by
I pray he'll one day know as I
Though be it late he'll one day find
The oath of Flanders that I try
To leave him on this page
      
The street is cold and empty now
Novembers' wind the only sound
To the Legion near the end of town
We've slowly made our way
Where once the brave did crowd the hall
Now empty chairs stand wall to wall
And soon the day, none come at all
While still the poppies blow…..

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row….

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: breezy
Date: 16 Jul 06 - 09:04 PM

did you use the same tune as for Roddy Macorley>?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Peace
Date: 16 Jul 06 - 09:35 PM

Nice one, Songsmith. Very good lyrics. I hope to hear you sing it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Songsmith
Date: 17 Jul 06 - 02:01 AM

If that question was for me Breezy the answer is no. Melody is mine also. I'll be recording a demo of the song this Thursday. I'll have a sampler on my site which should be back up and running by the end of the month.

Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Songsmith
Date: 17 Jul 06 - 02:57 AM

Thanks Peace.

Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: kendall
Date: 17 Jul 06 - 06:08 AM

War. The ultimate failure.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Songsmith
Date: 18 Jul 06 - 05:26 AM

No argument from my side Kendall.

regards,
Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 18 Jul 06 - 09:27 AM

And I hope it's not inappropriate to post one of mine here:

Give Him Time

Steven Clark

A young boy named Ali Abbas became a media pet when his family was killed, and he lost both arms during the Allied bombardment of Baghdad. He subsequently was flown to the UK for treatment, and was given prosthetic limbs. When he appeared on television screens across the world, he was inundated with gifts from well-wishers. What made me write this song was hearing that he had been sent a Playstation. Just what you need when you have no hands. The "God Willing" line came from his ucle and the boy himself whenever they were quoted, they would always add "God Willing".

There's a boy out playing on a street
Could be yours, God help us, could be mine
Having too much fun to come inside and eat
Give him time, God willing give him time

The boy has dreams he doesn't like to tell
Could be yours, God help us, could be mine
He'll be a doctor, make the sick folk well
Give him time, God willing give him time

Came the missiles, came the aeroplanes
Could be yours, God help us, could be mine
And hidden hands unleashed a fiery rain
Give him time, God willing give him time

The boy is lyin on a hospital bed
Could be yours, God help us, could be mine
Doctor says that he'd be better dead
Give him time, God willing give him time

Across the world he's on the TV screens
Could be yours, God help us, could be mine
Folk send him gifts and money to wipe their conscience clean
Give him time, God willing give him time

The boy has toys and games he just can't wait to play
Could be yours, God help us, could be mine
It's so much harder since we burned his arms away
Give him time, God willing give him time

So when the call for war to end a tyrant's reign
Could be yours, God help us, could be mine
Just ask who wins and loses, and what they stand to gain
Give him time, God willing give him time
Give him time, God willing give him time




The tune's my own ( as far as I know )
There is a fairly rough live recording here:

Give Him Time

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Here's my anti-Iraq war song
From: Songsmith
Date: 18 Jul 06 - 09:45 AM

Hello Steven ( and I assume Scabby Douglas),

Awesome! I live and work in Saudi and know this story well. Very well done indeed!

regards,
Jim