Info: Will Ye Go tae Flanders?

Subject: RE: Info: Will Ye Go tae Flanders?
From: GUEST,Lang Johnnie More
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 07:00 AM

More recent version by Karine Polwart :

https://youtu.be/7QQPnOcrYpA

Subject: RE: Info: Will Ye Go tae Flanders?
From: GUEST,Lang Johnnie More
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 06:57 AM

Tony Cuffe, with "Ossian" :

https://youtu.be/sPRU8ZunYsM

John Faulkner :

https://youtu.be/TIXurb-wlFk

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Will Ye Go tae Flanders?
From: GUEST,Rory
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 01:54 AM

The publication date is in error for 'From Scotish Song in Two Volumes', Vol. 1, by Joseph Ritson.
It should read as MDCCXCIV = 1794, not MDCCXIV = 1714

Page iii of the Preface says that song XXIV "Will ye go to Flanders, my Mally, O?" is taken from Ancient and modern Scottish songs, heroic ballads, etc.,Edinburgh, 1769 and 1776.

Subject: Lyr Add: WILL YE GO TO FLANDERS, MY MALLY, O?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Dec 22 - 11:01 PM

From Scotish [sic] Song in Two Volumes, Vol. 1 (London: J. Johnson, 1714), page 48:

WILL YE GO TO FLANDERS, MY MALLY, O?

Will ye go to Flanders, my Mally, O?
Will ye go to Flanders, my bonnie Mally, O?
There we'll get wine and brandy,
And sack and sugar-candy?
Will ye go to Flanders, my Mally, O?

Will ye go to Flanders, my Mally, O?
And see the chief commanders, my Mally, O?
You'll see the bullets fly,
And the soldiers how they die,
And the ladies loudly cry, my Mally, O.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 11:04 PM

This is the most powerful old anti-war song that I know, but in a good earlier one a soldier (returned from Flanders, c 1692) tries to convince his younger brother to go to war. It's hard to refute the younger brother's objections. This is "The Farmer's Son of Devonshire", and preceeds "Will you go to Flanders" in my Scarce Songs 2 file. A few earlier anti-war songs are also known, and Martin Parker's "The Maunding Soldier" (see my broadside ballad index) illustrates the old adage 'The fruits of war is beggary'.

Incidently, I don't think one should make too much of the woman's name. There are some copies of the tune in late 18th century American manuscripts, where titles are "Will you go to Flanders, Molly" and "Will you go to Flanders, Jane". [Well, compilers of music manuscripts often couldn't spell either, and in the Giles Gibb's MS of 1777, the tune "Yankee doodle" is called "Thehos Gender", and I don't think that one has been figured out yet. My best guess is "The Horse Grenadier", but I wouldn't bet much on it.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 09:40 PM

If you take the trouble to look at the earliest known text that Bruce has mentioned twice in this thread, you'll see that it's Mally.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: Turtle
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 05:44 PM

Or persuade to go to Flanders?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: radriano
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 05:26 PM

I thought that Molly-o refered to the person the singer is talking to, his girlfriend, Molly, whom he is trying to dissuade from going to Flanders.

radriano

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 05:22 PM

Sack and Canary are alcoholic drinks referred to several times in 17th century broadside ballads.

The earliest text I know of for "Will you go to Flanders, my Molly O" is that in Herd's Scots Songs, 1776, as I noted in the third note above. (which also notes where you can see that text)

I would be very interested to know if there's real evidence for the song being of 1706, or it that's just an 'educated guess'. King William was fighting in Flanders as early as 1692. Several 17th century broadside ballads on this subject can be found in the broadside ballad index on my website.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From:
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 04:17 PM

My reading of the song has "My Mally-O". I always read sack as being the spoils of war, as in when one sacked a city. love John (See K.Olsen)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: Turtle
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 03:14 PM

Beau, I always heard it as, "my Molly-O." Was I wrong? or is it just the folk process having its way with us again?

Turtle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 02:18 PM

Sack:  A white wine of Sherry class from Spain or the Canaries.  The name probably derives from French sec, dry.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: BeauDangles
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 02:09 PM

Oh, and the line about "sack & sugar-candy" I always heard as "sark & sugar-candy." Sack, or sark, or whatever, is a kind of sugared wine drink, no?

Beau

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: BeauDangles
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 02:07 PM

I had always thought the line was: "Will ye go to Flanders, my Marley-oh" Marley-oh being a variation of Marlborough.

Am I wrong?

BeauD

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: radriano
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 11:03 AM

As far as I know, Will Ye Go to Flanders is an anti-recruitment song. I first heard it on the album Broken hearted I'll wander by Dolores Keane and John Faulkner. Here's what their liner notes say. John Faulkner says he learned the song from Ewan MacColl, who sang two verses of it on an old record. John wrote two additional verses to it. According the Peter Hall in Aberdeen, the original stanzas date back to the 1st Duke of Marlborough's campaign in Flanders in 1706.

radriano

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From:
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 12:04 AM

I ran across this song early in my folk life, like around 1992. B/C I was an idiot and did not take notes, I don't know which recordings (taped from radio) I had. One ended with a classic bagpipe which lasted 2 minues, which thrilled me. Where can I go to get background to this song? Who is the genius who penned words and music?-- Thanx, Harold

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: GUEST,Judith
Date: 31 May 00 - 10:41 AM

Scartaglen adds an updating verse, with appropriate aural effects in the background -

And will ye go to Vietnam, my mannie-o? To the Cedars of the Lebanon, my mannie-o? We'll see the bullets fly, and the soldiers, they still die Where the starshell lights the sky, my mannie-o.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 06:16 PM

It's also on my website (www.erols.com/olsonw) in Scarce Songs 2, from Herd's 'Scots Songs', 1776, and with the earliest copy of it's tune, 1743, from Oswald's 'Caledonian Pocket Companion'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: Jeri
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 05:37 PM

The song is in the DT. Click here and enjoy!

Subject: 'Will ye go tae Flanders?'
From: Calach
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 05:25 PM

Heard this on a Altan album (a must for any collector who's not got one in their collection already). Will Ye go tae Flanders, my mammie-O Lyrics please for an Edinburgh Folk Singer. Thanks.