I Wish That the Wars Were All Over / I Would That the Wars Were All Done is a traditional ballad of at least eighteenth-century origin. There are basically two versions of the ballad, one presumably dating back to the American War of Independence (1775-1783) and the second probably dating back to the Flanders Campaign (1793-1795). Both versions were collected by the Rev Sabine Baring-Gould at the end of the 19th century. I Wish That the Wars Were All Over: It was down in the meadows where violets are blue two sources Timothy Connor in “A Sailor’s Songbag: An American Rebel in an English Prison, 1777-79” Samuel Fone of Dartmoor, Devon FOLK REVIVAL: Sam Richards ( Invitation to North America 1977-Trish Stubbs voice) Tim Eriksen reworks (new text and new melody) the eighteenth-century version covered by Joan Baez in "Whistle Down The Wind" 2018 and Appalachian Road Show in Tribulation 2020 I Wish That the Wars Were All Over: In the meadow one morning when pearly with dew Text and score are printed in the Garland of Country Song (1895 pgg 18-19) (cf) by Rev Sabine Baring-Gould for which no oral source is provided. FOLK REVIVAL: Roy Harris in The Rambling Soldier 1995 Eliza Carthy first with "The Ratcatchers" and with The Wayward Band 2017 see my post in Terre Celtiche Blog https://terreceltiche.altervista.org/i-wish-that-the-wars-were-all-over-i-would-that-the-wars-were-all-done/
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