The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #14030 Message #2183613
Posted By: GUEST,Uncle Jaque
31-Oct-07 - 01:52 PM
Thread Name: Lyr/Chords Req: Green Fields of France (Engli
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Green Fields of France (Engli
I've been asked by my American Legion Post here in Maine to give a little presentation and perhaps a musical interlude at our Veteran's day ceremonies on the 10th.
We will be focusing on a WW-I theme, so i will be pulling together a brief talk and firing a salute with my .30-06 cal. US Model 1917 Remington rifle (probably a veteran of the "Great War")as a High School Musician plays "Taps".
As much as I've been researching some of the popular patriotic songs of the period such as "Over There" and "Old Kit Bag", for some reason Bogle's song about poor old Willy keeps popping into my head.
It's hardly a gung-ho pro war song, and my Legion Comrades might be a little piqued should I decide to do it - but I feel that it expresses a side of the institution of war, so tragically illustrated by this "War to End War" that might well be contemplated along with, and hopefully give some depth to, all the patriotic fervor which is traditionally associated with such National observances.
Although I'm hardly an 'anti-war' Veteran, I do see common factors running throughout the history of conflict and hope that humankind might eventually learn to recognize the warning signs of another storm of blood and fire approaching, and find some proactive ways to avoid them before the bloodbath becomes "inevitable"... if, alas, it is within the collective human psyche to actually do that.
Sometimes I wonder.
Anyway; I don't want to violate anyone's intellectual property rights here; I don't have an ASCAP (?) license as I really don't do much public performance, and most of what I do is "public domain" music of antiquity.
Is there some way that I can perform this song at such a ceremony without crossing the legal line or "stealing" Mr. Bogle's material?
If not I'll just pick something else.
I'd probably stir up a lot less controversy if I do, actually.