DT Correct: Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie)

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DT Correct: Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie)

04 Jul 06 - 06:55 AM (#1775420)
Subject: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: GUEST,Guest Jimlad

In my youth,before 1960, yes I know 1960 is a bloody long time ago,but I had a 45 rpm disc of the amazing Buffy Ste Marie's Universal Soldier. I do suffer "senior moments" these days but I recall a lyric along the lines of ".....condemned them at Verdun....." I cannot find it in DT lyrics can anyone help please ?.

04 Jul 06 - 06:58 AM (#1775422)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: John MacKenzie

There you go, I still sing this song, as it's still valid.
Giok

04 Jul 06 - 07:04 AM (#1775426)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: stallion

Donovan
..... but without him how could hitler have condemned them at dachau, without him Ceaser would have stood alone, he's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war and he knows that all this killing can't go on, he's the universal soldier.......

04 Jul 06 - 07:08 AM (#1775432)
Subject: Lyr Add: UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: stallion

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER
Written by Buffy-Sainte-Marie
Recorded by Buffy Sainte-Marie on "It's My Way!" (1964)

He's five foot-two,
And he's six feet-four.
He fights with missiles and with spears.
He's all of thirty-one,
And he's only seventeen.
He's been a soldier for a thousand years.

He's a Catholic, a Hindu,
An Atheist, a Jain,
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew.
And he knows he shouldn't kill,
And he knows he always will,
Kill you for me my friend and me for you.

And he's fighting for Canada,
He's fighting for France,
He's fighting for the USA,
And he's fighting for the Russians,
And he's fighting for Japan,
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way.

And he's fighting for Democracy,
He's fighting for the Reds.
He says it's for the peace of all.
He's the one who must decide
Who's to live and who's to die,
And he never sees the writing on the wall.

But without him, how would Hitler
Have condemned him at Dachau?
Without him Caesar would have stood alone.
He's the one who gives his body
As a weapon of the war,
And without him all this killing can't go on.

He's the Universal Soldier
And he really is to blame.
His orders come from far away no more.
They come from him and you and me,
And, brothers, can't you see,
This is not the way we put an end to war?

04 Jul 06 - 07:15 AM (#1775439)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: John MacKenzie

Click the link in my post Stallion, you could have saved a bit of virtual ink mate.
Giok

04 Jul 06 - 07:18 AM (#1775443)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: The Borchester Echo

And somebody could have pointed out that it was written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, not Donovan.

04 Jul 06 - 07:25 AM (#1775450)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: stallion

ok point taken, just that the words i have were as donovan sang them, reference to "Verdun" might have been in the original, I only know Donovans version. Oh the openintg post I think acknowledges this

04 Jul 06 - 07:27 AM (#1775452)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: stallion

thanks giok but I don't understand those blue clicky things, its easy to cut and paste it from my own software song book

04 Jul 06 - 09:03 AM (#1775536)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Susan of DT

And it is in the DT: Universal Soldier .

04 Jul 06 - 09:22 AM (#1775553)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Bob Bolton

G'day Susan,

Well it (at least) has made it into the DT ... but it's sans a stanza ... and mispells the religion term "Jain"!

Regards,

Bob

04 Jul 06 - 10:57 AM (#1775632)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: stallion

Thank Heavens, thank heavans for little pedants for without them what would mudcat lyrics do ;o) ( I still have problems with colour and nieghbours! I just realised that that comment could be taken the wrong way, it actually refers to US and British spellings))

04 Jul 06 - 11:03 AM (#1775640)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Richard Bridge

The Donovan recording always sounded as if he sang "Labaule" rather than "Dachau", but I am not aware of any meaning to the word "Labaule".

04 Jul 06 - 11:16 AM (#1775659)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: dick greenhaus

For the hawks, there's also "Universal Pacifist" in DigiTrad

04 Jul 06 - 01:53 PM (#1775833)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Geordie-Peorgie

If ye get a chance te lissen te Buffy's rendition of her own song she clearly sings (a very gutteral) "Without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau" - Sounds like a very definite throat clearing 'ch' sound

Donovan appears to sing 'Laballe' - Wherever that is!

Gerruptivit

04 Jul 06 - 02:29 PM (#1775858)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: GUEST,DF

I believe it is Lavalle.

04 Jul 06 - 05:22 PM (#1775986)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: GUEST, Jimlad

Pierre Laval(1883-1945) was thew head of the French Vichy government from April 1942 until the end of WW11 when he was executed by firing squad for being a collaborator with the Germans

04 Jul 06 - 06:47 PM (#1776057)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Snuffy

I always thought Donovan was singing "Laval" but it didn't make much sense.

06 Jul 06 - 05:24 PM (#1777691)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Susanne (skw)

So did I, but it doesn't make any sense whatever, so when I learned it was 'Dachau' in the original I began to suspect a senior moment on Donovan's part ...

06 Jul 06 - 10:18 PM (#1777875)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Susan of DT

Bob - I first wrote that one down in the 1960s in my first song notebook. I was pretty ignorant then. And I don't remember ever hearing that Dachau verse.

07 Jul 06 - 04:24 AM (#1777990)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: stallion

well what d'yer know, I got my copy from someone at university who swore they were taken from a Donovan vynyl, actually, I can't remember ever listening to donovan singing it, just my mate who gave me the words!

07 Jul 06 - 09:02 AM (#1778164)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier
From: Geordie-Peorgie

Thanks for explaining about Laval! Aah'm still not sure why Hitler would have "condemned him AT Laval" according to Donovan - Unless his geography is as good as mine!!

But who am aah, a bad speakin' geordie, to criticise grammar (or me Granma)

Gerruptivit

21 Apr 17 - 04:39 AM (#3851563)
Subject: ADD: Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie)^^^
From: Joe Offer

I know we have a transcription of the song in the Digital Tradition, but I thought we ought to have one from Buffy herself.
The lyrics page at Buffy Sainte-Marie's Website no longer works, so here at the lyrics from an an archive of her Website, http://www.creative-native.com/lyrics/univelyr.htm

I wrote "Universal Soldier" in the basement of The Purple Onion coffee house in Toronto in the
early sixties. It's about individual responsibility for war and how the old feudal thinking kills us all.
Donovan had a hit with it in 1965.

He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He's been a soldier for a thousand years

He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain,
a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
and he knows he shouldn't kill
and he knows he always will
kill you for me my friend and me for you

And he's fighting for Canada,
he's fighting for France,
he's fighting for the USA,
and he's fighting for the Russians
and he's fighting for Japan,
and he thinks we'll put an end to war this way

And he's fighting for Democracy
and fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
who's to live and who's to die
and he never sees the writing on the walls

But without him how would Hitler have
condemned him at Dachau
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body
as a weapon to a war
and without him all this killing can't go on

He's the universal soldier and he
really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from him, and you, and me
and brothers can't you see
this is not the way we put an end to war.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q09f1OE7R8s

I underlined the one line in the DT lyrics that is significantly different. -JRO-

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (DT Lyrics)
(Buffy Ste. Marie)

He's five foot two and he's six foot four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He's been a soldier for a thousand years

He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist and a Jain
A Buddhist, a Baptist and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn't kill and he knows he always will
Kill you for me, my friends, and me for you

He's fighting for Canada, he's fighting for France
He's fighting for the USA
and he's fighting for the Russians and he's fighting for Japan
And he thinks he'll put an end to war this way

He's fighting for democracy, he's fighting for the Reds
He's fighting for the good of all
He's the one who must decide who's to live and who's to die
And he never reads the writing on the wall

But without him how could Hitler have condemned him at Dachau
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war
and without him all this killing can't go on.

He's the universal soldier and he is really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from him and you and me and brothers, can't you see
This is not the way to put an end to war

Copyright Caleb Music
see also UNIVPACF
@war @soldier @political
sung by Buffy Ste. Marie on It's My Way
filename[ UNIVSOLD
TUNE FILE: UNIVSOLD
CLICK TO PLAY
SOF

21 Apr 17 - 06:42 AM (#3851589)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: GUEST

"The Buffy Sainte-Marie Songbook", Grosset & Dunlap 1971
"Comments, Illustration and Design by Buffy Sainte-Marie
Music
Edited and Arranged by Peter Greenwood
Piano Arrangements by John Marino"
has some minor differences from the author's version Joe posted above
- a weapon of the war - and some punctuation changes.
There are lyrics, chords and piano arrangements to nearly sixty of her songs and discography (as of 1971)

21 Apr 17 - 06:48 AM (#3851590)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: GUEST,henryp

Buffy Sainte Marie also wrote a companion piece - Moratorium - released in 1971.

Moratorium

21 Apr 17 - 06:49 AM (#3851591)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Nigel Parsons

I only ever heard the Donovan version. I hear it as 'lavalle' or something similar.

The only other noticeable difference is in the last verse:
His orders come from far away no more
They come from him, and you, and me
and brothers can't you see
this is not the way we put an end to war.

Which I remember hearing as:

His orders come from far away no more
They come from here and there, and you, and me
and brothers can't you see
this is not the way we put an end to war.

Cheers
Nigel

22 Apr 17 - 06:40 AM (#3851826)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: cetmst

Yesterday's guest was me, cookie now reset. Is there a printed source for her music after 1971? I was fortunate to see her and talk to her at a concert in Maine a few years ago - Charles