WWII songs

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,Dale
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 04:07 PM

You can get a couple of sound files from archive.org and work out the lyrics from there.

Here's one by Byron Harlan & Ada Jones
http://www.archive.org/details/ByronGHarlanwithAdaJones

And you'll find three versions by Arthur Fields here
http://www.archive.org/details/ArthurFields

Subject: Lyr Add: HOW 'YA GONNA KEEP 'EM DOWN ON THE FARM?
From: The Walrus
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 08:26 PM

GUEST,Shelley,
Re:- How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)
The song can be heard here:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/howyagonna.htm


HOW 'YA GONNA KEEP 'EM DOWN ON THE FARM? (After They've Seen Paree)
Words by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young; Music by Walter Donaldson; ©1919.

1. "Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking,"
Said his wifey dear,
"Now that all is peaceful and calm,
The boys will soon be back on the farm."
Mister Reuben started winking,
And slowly rubbed his chin.
He pulled his chair up close to mother,
And he asked her with a grin:

CHORUS 1: How 'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm,
After they've seen Paree?
How 'ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway,
Jazzin' aroun' and paintin' the town?
How 'ya gonna keep 'em away from harm? That's a mystery.
They'll never want to see a rake or plow,
And who the deuce can parley-vous a cow?
How 'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm,
After they've seen Paree?

2. "Reuben, Reuben, you're mistaken,"
Said his wifey dear,
"Once a farmer, always a jay,
And farmers always stick to the hay."
"Mother Reuben, I'm not fakin',
Tho' you may think it strange;
But wine and women play the mischief
With a boy who's loose with change."

CHORUS 2: How 'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm,
After they've seen Paree?
How 'ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway,
Jazzin' aroun' and paintin' the town?
How 'ya gonna keep 'em away from harm? That's a mystery.
Imagine, Reuben, when he meets his pa,
He'll kiss his cheek and holler "oo-la-la!"
How 'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm,
After they've seen Paree?

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,alison kay
Date: 18 Jun 08 - 06:49 AM

i love woold war 2 sngs

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Muttley
Date: 19 Jun 08 - 03:32 AM

My Nan used to have a sing-along in the car whenever we drove up to Healesville (about 50 miles east of Melbourne, Australia) and several of those mentioned were always in the repetoire - she adored the old songs of the WW2 era (her 2 husbands, all her brothers and brothers-in-law and cousins all served in the various arms of the Australian Armed Services):

Especial favourites were the already mentioned "One of Our Planes is Missing" and another I have forgotten the major part of was called (I think)'Barefoot Days:

I think the chorus ran -

Barefoot Days; when we were just a kid
Barefoot Days; Oh Boy! The things we did
We'd go down to a shady nook
And use a bent-pin for a hook
And we'd fish all day and we'd fish all night
But the jolly old fish refused to bite
Then by-and-by; on some old cellar door
We'd slide and slide; 'til our pants got torn
And then we'd have to go home: Stay in our bed
'Til Mother got busy with a needle-and-thread
Oh Boy! What joy, we had in barefoot days.


Damn I miss my Nan and those long, hazy drives!

Mutley

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,Trev
Date: 19 Jun 08 - 08:57 AM

D-Day Dodgers, parody of Lili marlene.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 19 Jun 08 - 01:42 PM

Having been born before WWII, I heard most of the ones played in the U.S. The songs of that era tend to be intensely personal and the list one keeps in memory tends to reflect where he or she was at the time. If you were in England during the Blitz, you had one set of issues to worry about, as destruction rained down from the skies. If you were in the states, you might have been a lonely bride waiting for news of a loved one overseas. If you were a G.I., or a soldier or sailor anywhere, certain songs reminded you of the home and family you longed to see again. I remember the voices of certain singers who were prominent at the time; Jo Stafford, Margaret Whiting, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine and many others.

You can probably size up your audience and find appropriate songs depending on which constituency they represent from the War era.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Jun 08 - 02:26 PM

Trev,
D-Day Dodgers....not a parody...it just borrows the tune.
Steve

Subject: WWII songs How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm
From: Genie
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 02:51 PM

Walrus, I think of "How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm" as a WWI song.   Was it also popular in WWII?

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,B.O.P._ARIES.Co/raptorwing
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 09:28 PM

~S~
hello all well i play il-2 online and am at this time tryn to make a movie but i want some ww2 erra music dealing perticurly with the air war aspect of it as il-2 is a ww2 fighterplane sim do any of you know of any : )
thnx in advance

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Greg B
Date: 30 Sep 08 - 02:33 PM

Oscar Brand is probably the best source for such things; Google him, he's got a web site. He made an album (probably still available) of
WW II pilot songs. Cracking show!

There's also a book you might be able to find called, if I recall
propery, "There I Was Flat on My Back."

I used to be quite active in Combat Flight Sim (version 1 mostly).

I was a member of the "Old Geezer" (GZR) squadron; hung out a bit
with the 'Daffy Ducks' (France-based) (coin coin!) as well.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 12:02 PM

Though many songs come to mind, from my childhood in the 1940's, what I recall most vividly is how evocative many of the best songs were in painting pictures of the loneliness of men far from home, the pain of parents, wives and families waiting and praying for their safe return and of the longing for familiar things many at war knew they would never see again. At no time since, in no other war in my lifetime, have such images been as indelible. The shame of it is that it takes a war to make us all realize how precious life and love truly are.

With today's instant news and satellite transmissions, time and distance have shrunk so much that it is unlikely that such songs will ever be written again. They were, after all, very much the product of that earlier time when news was long in coming and radio and newsreels provided all that could be learned on the home front. A deep melancholy was the result and the songs were a shared way of expressing it.

Subject: 1900's song - Strike up the band here comes a sail
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Apr 09 - 08:40 PM

Strike up the band (here comes a sailor) - anybody know it??

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,Carol V.
Date: 10 Apr 09 - 10:41 AM

Trying to find a song called, {Love Will Find A Way} Sung to the soldiers when they left for battle. Anyone know this song?

Subject: Lyr Add: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY
From: beardedbruce
Date: 10 Apr 09 - 11:19 AM

Carol V.

This might be what you are looking for.


LOVE WILL FIND A WAY
(Noble Sissle / Eubie Blake) 6-1921 New York, New York

Discography (variious artists)

Emerson 10336
Regal 9137

Vocalion 14218-B

Okeh 4504-B

Pathé Actuelle 020655
Pathé Actuelle 10232

Edison 50866

Ah!   http://www.mdhs.org/eubieblake/subs/detail.asp?cat=Sheet+Music&id=404&mult=1

Band 3
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY
Noble Sissle, vocal; Eubie Blake, piano

(Verse) Come, dear, and don't let our faith weaken,
Let's keep our love fires burning bright.
Your love for me is a heavenly beacon,
Guiding me all through love's darkest night.
Don't start minding
Or fault finding,
No matter how dark one's path may grow.
Fate won't hurry,
So don't worry,
We'll just keep our hearts a-glow.

(Refrain) For love will find a way
Though skies now are gray.
Love like ours can never be ruled
Cupid's not schooled that way.
Dry each tear-dimmed eye
Clouds will soon roll by
Though fate may lead us astray
My dearie, mark what I say
Love will find a way.


©1921 M. Witmark & Sons. Copyright renewed. All rights reserved.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Gene
Date: 10 Apr 09 - 01:17 PM

Been a few years since this was posted...

RE: ABOVE SHOTGUN BOOGIE by Tennessee Ernie Ford...


Well, I met a little gal and she was tall and thin
Asked her what you got, she said [a box fulla tin!]

correct lyrics are


Well, I met a little gal, she was tall and thin
I asked her what she had, she said "a FOX 410"

that's an over and under shotgun/rifle

very popular in the late 40s & 50s...

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,me
Date: 18 May 09 - 06:58 PM

wow...

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 18 May 09 - 10:26 PM

Dang, Gene!   You sure did some good work there. "a FOX 410" is EXACTLY right, and all these years I have heard "a pocket full of tin" even though it didn't make any real sense. I just now listened to it and can't even imagine how someone could get it wrong. :) And it DOES make sense now.

This isn't our oldest long running discussion, but it is over 10 years old now. Nice to see the good ones come back again.   Thanks again, Max.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 19 May 09 - 06:46 AM

I hope this won't count as thread drift. On Saturday 4th. July the Lewes Saturday Folk Club in Lewes, Sussex, UK, has a night with the excellent verse and prose reader Roger Brasier:

'THE DAY WAR BROKE OUT
An evening of humour, nostalgia and pathos to mark the 70th. anniversary of the start of World War Two. Featuring Roger Brasier (Yes! it's That Man Again) and Full Supporting Programme.'

Roger will perform, of course, but we'd like the floor singers to choose songs, tunes or readings in advance and let us know what they've chosen. This means we can put a programme together and you can be sure that what you've chosen won't be nicked by someone else. The music of the First World War has been much researched, but less has been done on the Second World War.

If you'd like to take part, please email me with your choice of music: valmaigoodyear(at)aol.com.

I can tell you for a start that I'm doing Louis Simpson's poem 'Carentan' which is in ballad style, so I've put what I hope is an appropriate tune to it.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Mallee
Date: 21 May 09 - 12:59 AM

1st verse
If you want to see the colonel i know where he is i know where he is i know where he is.
If you want to see the colonel i know where he is pinning another medal on his chest

Last verse:
If you want to see me privates i know they are i know where i know where they are
if you want to see me privates i know they are their hanging on the old barbed wire

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,Karen Webb
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 07:29 PM

I so want to know if there's any more to 'Around the corner, and under a tree' My parents' version continued:

The sergeant-major made love to me
He kissed me once, he kissed me twice
It wasn't quite the thing to do, but oh it was so nice.

Since it's set to a tune, surely there was more? Or was singing or humming it maybe a signal of interest?

Any more info - or verses! gratefully welcomed.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 02:19 AM

'.. Another (and very moving) one from 1940 is "The Last Time I Saw Paris". ... '

I think it worth drawing attention to distinguished authorship of this one: Music: Jerome Kern; lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II. Wow!

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 02:27 AM

'Lewes Saturday Folk Club in Lewes, Sussex, UK, has a night with the excellent verse and prose reader Roger Brasier:

'THE DAY WAR BROKE OUT
An evening of humour, nostalgia and pathos to mark the 70th. anniversary of the start of World War Two. '

Must have been a great evening. Does everyone recognise its title? It was the opening catchphrase of the v popular N Country radio comedian Robb Wilton right thru the War. I remember his first broadcast when the War had just ended, & he brought the house down by beginning, "The day Peace broke out..."

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: melodeonboy
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 06:53 AM

'ere, what about "Stalin wasn't Stallin"?

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: GUEST,thinking of nana
Date: 02 Mar 11 - 11:43 PM

my nana used to sing a song that went something like:
_ _ the band's all here
what the heck do we care
we only have our underwear

do you know the song and the rest?
she just passed and she used to sing it
i miss her
thanks
cj

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Joe_F
Date: 03 Mar 11 - 06:14 PM

nana's Guest:
For the origin & original words of this song see
here. It is much older than W.W. II & of course has been extensively parodied. If "heck" is too profane for you, you can retreat to

Hail, hail, the gang's all here.
Never mind the weather.
Here we are together.
Hail, hail, the gang's all here.
Let the trouble start right now!

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: henri
Date: 17 Apr 12 - 08:56 AM

Glenn Miller wrote I got a gal in Kalamazoo. There is a line in it which goes...
Am I dreamin',
I can hear her screamin'
Hiya Mr Jackson, everything's
O-K-A-L-A-M-A-Z-O-O...ETC.

I would like to know who the heck this Mr Jackson is.
Any ideas anyone?

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 17 Apr 12 - 12:00 PM

Glenn Miller's orchestra indeed played "Girl in Kalamazoo"; but it was not written by Miller, but by Harry Warren & Mack Gordon ~~

Out of interest, have looked up that ubiquitous composer Harry Warren in my Ox Guide to Popular Music. Just a selection of his output:—

words by Al Dubin: 42nd St; We're in the Money; Keep young & beautiful; I'll string along with you; I only have eyes for you; Lullaby of Broadway; September in the rain;

words by Johnny Mercer: Jeepers creepers; You must have been a beautiful baby; Jezebel; Acheson Topeka & Santa Fe.

words by Mack Gordon: Down Argentina Way; I-yi-yi-yi like you very much; Chatanooga choo-choo; Gal in Kalamazoo; I like to be loved by you; You'll never know

What a guy!

~Michael~

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Bert
Date: 17 Apr 12 - 12:40 PM

More WWII stuff here

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: goatfell
Date: 17 Apr 12 - 12:43 PM

Der Fuehrer's Face Spike Jones

Subject: Lyr Add: I'LL WALK ALONE (Cahn/Styne)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Jun 13 - 12:03 AM

This song has been mentioned several times in this thread. Wikipedia says Dinah Shore recorded it twice. Indeed, Spotify has 2 versions. I'm guessing the first version shown below is the one used in the film, and the second is a result of a reworking to turn it into a Christmas song—but without liner notes, I can't be sure of the circumstances.


I'LL WALK ALONE
Words by Sammy Cahn; music by Jule Styne; ©1944.
Introduced by Dinah Shore in the film "Follow the Boys"

[Version 1:]

They call; no date.
I promised you I'd wait.
I want them all to know
I'm strictly single-O.

I'll walk alone
Because, to tell you the truth, I'll be lonely
I don't mind being lonely,
When my heart tells me you are lonely too.

I'll walk alone.
They'll ask me why and I'll tell them I'd rather.
There are dreams I must gather,
Dreams we fashioned the night
You held me tight.

I'll always be near you wherever you are,
Each night in ev'ry prayer.
Just whisper; I'll hear you, no matter how far,
So close your eyes and I'll be there.

Please walk alone,
But send your love and your kisses to guide me.
Till you're walkin' beside me,
I'll walk alone.
Darling, all by myself I'll walk alone.
* * *
[Version 2:]

I'll walk alone
Through every Christmas until you're beside me,
And I'll dream you're beside me,
When my heart tells me you are dreaming too.

I'll walk alone,
With all the mem'ries of other Decembers,
Just a girl who remembers
Dreams we fashioned the night
You held me tight.

I'll always be near you … [same as above]

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Jun 13 - 05:30 AM

I collected a song from a little old lady with a powerful voice. Donnie Donegan. Usually seen at Upton FF UK. She used to run the Gallion FC in Stourport for amny years. She sang the song
"Down with Hitler and the Nazis" and she is not sure where it came from but thinks her father might have written it in Liverpool during the war.

I have a recording of it somewhere. She has recordings of Arlo Guthrie who was booked for her club, singing into the wee small hours in her front room. She reckons she still has the tape! Somewhere!

Subject: Lyr Add: THANKS, MR ROOSEVELT! (George Formby)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jun 13 - 12:28 AM

I'm tempted to think this was meant ironically, but apparently not.

THANKS, MR ROOSEVELT!
Written by: Connor, 1941.
As sung by George Formby

John Bull has written a message
And sent it off by clipper plane today.
Oh, what a wonderful message!
Now let me tell you what it had to say:

It just said, "Thanks, Mr. Roosevelt; it's swell of you
For the way you're helping us to carry on.
You'll see the British Empire smiling through
When these dark and stormy days are gone.

"And Franklin, by the way, please convey
Our congratulations to the folks in USA."
We're saying, "Thanks, Mr. Roosevelt; we're proud of you
For the way you're helping us to carry on.

"Old friend, you've never denied us.
In our hearts, your name is evergreen.
Your land is standing beside us,
As in the days of nineteen seventeen."

So we say, "Thanks, Mr. Roosevelt; it's swell of you
For the way you're helping us to carry on.
You'll see the British Empire smiling through
When these dark and stormy days are gone.

"And Franklin, by the way, please convey
Our congratulations to the folks in USA."
We're saying, "Thanks Mr. Roosevelt we're proud of you
For the way you're helping us to carry on.

[Instrumental interlude.]

"And Franklin, by the way, please convey
Our congratulations to the folks in USA."
We're saying, "Thanks, Mr. Roosevelt; we're proud of you
For the way you're helping us to carry on."

Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THEY SOUND THE LAST ALL CLEAR
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Jun 13 - 09:53 PM

WHEN THEY SOUND THE LAST ALL CLEAR
words ad music Hugh Charles, Louis Elton, 1941.
As sung by Vera Lynn

When they sound the last all clear,
How happy, my darling, we'll be,
When they turn up the lights
And the dark lonely nights
Are only a memory.

Never more we'll be apart,
Always together, sweetheart,
For the peace bells will ring
And the whole world will sing
When they sound the last all clear.

We've got our troubles and we've got our cares,
But as long as we keep smiling through,
There'll come a day when the clouds roll away
And the sun will be shining anew.

[Repeat:] When they sound the last all clear....

Nevermore we'll be apart....

Subject: Lyr Add: GOODBYE, MAMA (I'M OFF TO YOKOHAMA)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Jun 13 - 11:37 PM

I listened to all the available recordings on YouTube--there were several--and compiled this composite:


GOODBYE, MAMA (I'M OFF TO YOKOHAMA)
Words and music by J. Fred Coots, ©1941.

Johnny was a soldier boy who never looked for scraps,
But this young buckaroo
Was Yankee through-and-through;
Then Johnny heard our country's call to arms against the Japs,
And as he marched away,
His buddies heard him say:

1. [Male voice:] Goodbye, mama.
I'm off to Yokohama
For the red, white, and blue,
My country, and you.
Goodbye, mama.
I'm off to Yokohama
Just to teach all those Japs
The Yanks are no saps.
A million fightin' sons of Uncle Sam, if you please,
Will soon have all those Japs right down on their Japa-knees.
So goodbye, mama.
I'm off to Yokohama
For my country, my flag, and you.

2. [Female voice:] Say goodbye to mama.
You're off to Yokohama,
So be brave and be strong;
You won't be gone long.
Say bye-bye, mama,
For Land of Yama-Yama
Until April I guess
Will be your address.
On Christmas eve when dad and I are trimming the tree,
You'll do your share of trimming out on land and on sea.
Say goodbye to mama;
You're off to Yokohama
For your country, your flag and me.

* * *
VARIATIONS – In some recordings, the following lines are substituted for the lines in italics above:

[Female voice:] All those Japs will feel worse
To hear I'm a nurse.
A soldier needs a woman's touch when he starts to fight.
That's why the girls will do their share with all of their might.

Though the Japs may tough,
We're calling their bluff.

Though they're tricky and smart,
We'll soon break their heart.
Our bugler is a colored boy who's good with the dice,
And when he's finished with the Japs they'll soon have no rice.

Tell dad I plan a big surprise; nobody knows.
I'll bring him back a Jap valet to care for his clothes.

We're learning jujitsu where you kick with the feet.
We'll kick 'em in their Tojo and watch 'em retreat.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 12:19 AM

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR by Don Reid & Sammy Kaye, 1941.

Subject: Lyr Add: HE WEARS A PAIR OF SILVER WINGS
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 12:53 AM

HE WEARS A PAIR OF SILVER WINGS
Michael Carr & Eric Maschwitz
As recorded by Kay Kyser & His Orchestra, Harry Babbitt, vocalist.

Although some people say he's just a crazy guy,
To me he means a million other things,
For he's the one who taught this happy heart of mine to fly.
He wears a pair of silver wings.
And though it's pretty tough, the job he does above,
I wouldn't have him change it for a king.
An ordinary fellow in a uniform I love,
He wears a pair of silver wings.

Why, I'm so full of pride when we go walking
Every time he's home on leave,
He, with those wings on his tunic,
And me with my heart on my sleeve.

And when I'm left alone and we are far apart,
I sometimes wonder what tomorrow brings,
For I adore that crazy guy who taught my happy heart
To wear a pair of silver wings.

For I adore that crazy guy who taught my happy heart
To wear a pair of silver wings.

Subject: Lyr Add: THAT'S SABOTAGE (Gordon/Warren)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 07:48 AM

THAT'S SABOTAGE
Words, Mack Gordon; music, Harry Warren; ©1942.
As performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, with Marion Hutton, vocalist.

Baby, what's wrong with you?
I can't get along with you.
When it comes to romance, you're never in the mood.
I say yes; you say no.
I say stop; you say go.
Lately, honey, I can't understand your attitude.

If you don't thrill me like you used to thrill me, that's sabotage.
If you don't kiss me like you used to kiss me, that's sabotage.
When you hear sirens screamin' those "be-alert" alarms,
Don't run helter-skelter; there's a bomb-proof shelter in my arms.

If you don't thrill me like you used to thrill me, that's sabotage.
Some fifth-column jerk did his dirty work and changed your mind about me.
I can't sleep; I've got to keep my F-B-eye on you,
'Cause if you've been untrue, that's sabotage.

If you don't thrill me like you used to thrill me, that's sabotage.
Some fifth-column jerk did his dirty work and changed your mind about me.
I can't sleep; I've got to keep my F-B-eye on you,
'Cause, baby, you've become a habit.
Please don't go and try to crab it.
If you've been untrue, that's sabotage.


[Wikipedia says THAT'S SABOTAGE was written for the film "Orchestra Wives" but was cut.]

Subject: Lyr Add: THIS IS THE ARMY, MISTER JONES (I Berlin)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 08:47 AM

THIS IS THE ARMY, MISTER JONES
Words and music by Irving Berlin, ©1942.

VERSE: A bunch of frightened rookies were list'ning filled with awe.
They listened while a sergeant was laying down the law.
They stood there at attention, their faces turning red.
The sergeant looked them over and this is what he said:

CHORUS 1: This is the army, Mister Jones,
No private rooms or telephones.
You had your breakfast in bed before,
But you won't have it there any more.

CHORUS 2. This is the army, Mister Green.
We like the barracks nice and clean.
You had a housemaid to clean your floor,
But she won't help you out any more.

BRIDGE: Do what the buglers command.
They're in the army and not in a band.

CHORUS 3: This is the army, Mister Brown.
You and your baby went to town.
She had you worried, but this is war,
And she won't worry you any more.

[I am a bit disturbed by the implications of Chorus 3: Being in the army is a convenient way to abandon a pregnant girlfriend?]

Subject: Lyr Add: YOU'D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO (Porter)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 09:30 AM

YOU'D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO
Words and music by Cole Porter, ©1942.
Introduced by Janet Blair and Don Ameche in the film "Something to Shout About"
As sung by Dinah Shore:

You'd be so nice to come home to.
You'd be so nice by the fire.
While the breeze on high
Sang a lullaby,
You'd be all that I could desire.

Under stars chilled by the winter,
Under an August moon burning above,
You'd be so nice.
You'd be paradise
To come home to and love.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 10:45 AM

http://para-phenalia.com/cart/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=282

Above is link to sheet music of 1940 song I remember called 'Sons of the Old Contemptibles'

Sons of the Old Contemptibles
Carrying on the same old way
The were the old dependables
And we're very glad to say
Steady and strong they marched on to fame
They won the war, boys, and we'll do the same..."

--- from memory over 73 years. Good catchy tune. The original Old Contemptibles -
The name self-adopted by British troops belonging to the regular army in 1914, the term was supposedly derived from a comment made by the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II.
The Kaiser, upon hearing that German forces were being held up in France while en route to the French capital, is said to have exclaimed his exasperation of "Sir John French's contemptible little army" -online War Encyclopedia

I remember also that the 'big bands' [Henry Hall, Geraldo, Harry Roy et al] during their half-hour radio spots, would include their vocalists singing the genuine [if euphemistically somewhat bowdlerised] soldiers' song "Bless 'Em All".

All meant to keep up morale when things weren't going that great early in WWii.

~M~

Subject: Lyr Add: A FELLOW ON A FURLOUGH (Bobby Worth)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 10:52 AM

A FELLOW ON A FURLOUGH
Words and music by Bobby Worth, ©1943.
As recorded by Glenn Miller.

I'm just a fellow on a furlough out looking for a dream,
The one who's in my dreams every night;
A lonesome fellow on a furlough in search of company,
Somebody who will be my guiding light.

"Oh, pretty lady," you'll hear me say,
"Beautiful lady, are you going my way?"

I'm just a fellow on a furlough whose hopes have all come true.
The girl of my furlough dream is you.

[Note: some versions of this song are cast in the third person: "He's just a fellow...." (etc.)]

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 10:55 AM

Also one called "Browned off" - not to be confused with the Ewan MacColl song of same title ...

When you're browned off for something you ain't done
When you're browned off because you've lost your gun
When you're browned off it's just a bit of fun
-- Cor chase me round the barrack square

(followed by the floating 'Far better off in a home' chorus)

I suspect a bit of misunderstanding of army slang in this one: 'browned off' was a variant of 'pissed off' = of course 'fed up'. But the songwriter seems to have taken it as synonymous with 'told off', ie reprimanded by NCO; particularly in the first line.

~M~

Subject: Lyr Add: I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (Gannon/Kent)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 11:39 AM

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS^[1]

VERSE: I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love, even more than I usually do,
And although I know It's a long road back I promise you—^[2]

CHORUS: I'll be home for Christmas; you can plan on me.^[3]
Please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree.^[4]
Christmas eve will find me where the love light gleams.
I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.

NOTES:
1. From Wikipedia: "The song was written by the lyricist Kim Gannon, and the composer Walter Kent. Buck Ram, who previously wrote a poem and song with the same title, was credited as a co-writer of the song following a lawsuit. The original 1943 release of the song by Bing Crosby on Decca Records listed only Walter Kent and Kim Gannon as the songwriters on the record label. Later pressings added the name of Buck Ram to the songwriting credit."

2. The verse is omitted by most singers, including Bing Crosby.

3. Some recorded versions have "count on me."

4. Some recorded versions have "by the tree" or "under the tree."

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 12:19 PM

I'll Be Home for Christmas

I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love
Even more than I usually do
And although I know it's a long way back
I promise you-

I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents under the tree

Christmas Eve will find you
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents under the tree

Christmas eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
If only in my dreams.

As sung by Michael Bublé. Adds an introductory verse (in sheet music?).

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 07:01 PM

One that came to mind was posted by Joe Offer, thread 11733- "Buckle Down, Winsocki." 1941

Buckle Down, Winsocki

"San Antonio Rose" came out in 1938, but it was on every juke box in Texas all during the War.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 07:14 PM

Top songs in the source charts are listed by year here:

http://tsort.info/music/yr1941.htm

http://tsort.info/music/yr1942.htm
and et cetera.

Not the year written, but years of top popularity.

Subject: RE: WWII songs
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 07:47 PM

HE WEARS A PAIR OF SILVER WINGS
Michael Carr, music; Eric Maschwitz, words, 1942
Kay Kyser lyrics

Although some people say he's just a crazy guy
To me he means a million other things
For he's the one who taught this happy heart of mine to fly
He wears a pair of silver wings.

And though it's pretty tough, the job he does above
I wouldn't have him change for a king
An ordinary fellow in a uniform I love
He wears a pair of silver wings.

Why, I'm so full of pride when we go walking
Every time he's home on leave
He with those wings on his tunic
And me with my heart on my sleeve.

But when I'm left alone and we are far apart
I sometimes wonder what tomorrow brings
For I adore that crazy guy who taught my happy heart
To wear a pair of silver wings.

For I adore that crazy guy who taught my happy heart
To wear a pair of silver wings.

from www.lyricsmode.com

Subject: Lyr Add: I'M GOING TO GET LIT UP (H Gregg)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 09:14 PM

I'M GOING TO GET LIT UP (WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON IN LONDON)
Words & Music, Hubert Gregg, ©1943.
As sung by Carroll Gibbons.

I'm gonna get lit up when the lights go up in London.
I'm gonna get lit up as I've never been before.
You will find me on the tiles.
You will finally reach the smiles(?).
I'm gonna get so lit up I'll be visible for miles.

The city will sit up when the lights go up in London.
We'll all be lit up as the strand was, only more, much more,
And before the party's played out,
They will fetch the fire brigade out
To the littest-uppest scene you ever saw.

Subject: Lyr Add: SAY A PRAYER FOR THE BOYS OVER THERE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 09:45 PM

SAY A PRAYER FOR THE BOYS OVER THERE
Words, Herb Magidson; music, Jimmy McHugh; ©1943.
Introduced by Deanna Durbin in the film "Hers to Hold"
As sung by Deanna Durbin.

All of us are working hand in hand.
We're working to preserve this wondrous land;
But there is something more we all can do
That will help to bring our loved ones safely through:

Say a prayer for the boys over there
When they play the Star-Spangled Banner.
Picture them by the dawn's early light,
And ask the Lord to watch over them each night.

Lift your eyes as you silently rise
When they play the Star-Spangled Banner.
As the song of freedom fills the air,
Say a prayer for the boys over there.

As the song of freedom fills the air,
Say a prayer for the boys over there.

Subject: Lyr Add: WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE INFANTRY? (Loesser)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 11:34 PM

WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE INFANTRY?
Words and music by Frank Loesser, ©1943.
As recorded by Glenn Miller & The Army Air Force Band.

What do you do in the infantry? You march; you march; you march.
What do you do when your pack has got your back as stiff as starch?
This is a mechanized war, they say; that saying is sure a bust,
'Cause all that you see in the infantry is one another's dust.

What do you do in the infantry? You hike; you hike; you hike.
What do you do in the infantry? You left and right or bike(?).
Everyone else can ride a jeep or fly up in the sky,
But there's nothing to ride in the infantry; you're just a tired guy.

The hard way, the hard way,
Sweat till you get there the hard way.

What do they say in the infantry? They squawk and squawk and squawk
All about miles and miles and miles that they have had to walk.
They march across the ocean, and that's quite a trick to do,
But don't forget the Air Corps has done some marching too.

What do you do in the ground crew? You're always fixin' planes.
Never a chance to sleep and dream of beautiful G. I. Janes.
You're patching a hole in the fuselage or loading the bomber's sticks.
What do you do in the ground crew? You fix and fix and fix.

What do you do in the Air Corps when the flak begins to scream?
How can you duck when the bombardier says, "Steady on the beam"?
How can you dig a foxhole or jump behind a tree?
Wouldn't you love to march away just like the infantry?

The soft way, the soft way,
Try to crash land, brother, the soft way.

What do you do when your gas is gone and you're flyin' a Thunderbolt?
You with the silk can say a prayer and land with an awful jolt.
You drop in a jungle and wrench your back; you're thinkin' of givin' up,
Yet what do you mumble crawlin' back? It's "Hup, two, three, four, hup, two, three, four, hup!"

[I'm pretty sure "bike" is wrong in verse 2, but I can't make out the real word.]