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08 Feb 04 - 12:17 PM (#1111915) Subject: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST Guys I have been told by an elderly friend about a song about the singing of Silent Night in the trenches at Christmas 1915. Does anyone know the lyrics/tune for this. I know this is the longest of long shots given the scant details but any help would be appreciated Thanks in advance |
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08 Feb 04 - 12:18 PM (#1111917) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: Amergin it sounds like it could be christmas in the trenches? if so the lyrics are in the database... |
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08 Feb 04 - 12:28 PM (#1111923) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: Malcolm Douglas Everybody and his or her dog seems to have written songs about this event in the last twenty years or so, and there may be slightly older ones too. I'd suggest a leisurely look through the Forum and Digital Tradition, using the search engine that you'll find at the top of each page. There have been a good few discussions in the past here which touch on the subject, and most of them contain much the same lists of suggestions. You may get some clues that way. |
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08 Feb 04 - 12:46 PM (#1111926) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Here are a couple of DT entries and Forum entries:
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08 Feb 04 - 12:48 PM (#1111927) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: Geoff the Duck There was a thread recently asking for ONE of these songs. Several different songs are mentioned in the process of determining what song was the actual one being asked for. Mike Harding wrote one, but another was by an American songsmith. Try searching for "Christmas" with a Three month time span in the Threads search box. Quack! GtD. |
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08 Feb 04 - 01:13 PM (#1111943) Subject: Lyr Add: THE ACCRINGTON PALS (Mike Harding) From: McGrath of Harlow The last survivor of the 1914 Christmas truce, a private called Bertie Felstead, only died in August 2001 - here's a piece about him and about the truce. And one of the things it mentions is that there was a similar partial Christmas truce at Christmas 1915 : "Many years later, talking about his own experience of a similar truce in 1915, Felstead recalled that the sound of German soldiers singing Silent Night, barely 100 yards away, encouraged the British to respond with Good King Wenceslas. The following day, there was an impromptu kick-about with a football. This seasonal fraternisation apparently went on for about half an hour, until brought to an abrupt end by a furious British officer, who ordered his men back to the trenches, telling them. In no uncertain terms, the brutal truth of their situation. Namely that they were there "to kill the Hun, not make friends with him". ...In an interview two years before his death, Felstead made a telling comment which explained why the military authorities reacted so strongly against friendly contact with the enemy. Recalling the carols, sung in the trenches on Christmas Eve, he said: "You couldn't hear each other sing like that without it affecting your feelings for the other side?" And in fact the first Christmas truce lasted until January 1915, and there were real worries on the part of the commanders on both sides that there might be difficulty in getting the war started again. That site I linked to for Bernie Felstead is a really fascinating one, with all kind of stuff about the Great War. And it includes the text and a sound file of Mike Harding's song about a "Pals Brigade" - "The Accrington Pals" Here is the song, because it ought to be on the Mudcat, and links to other sites can fail over time: Smoky town where they were born, Down in the valley, smoky little streets. They were pals from childhood days, Climbing trees and running through the fields. And they all played together through the turning of the years, Sharing their laughter, sharing all their fears. Seasons saw them growing and Seasons passing turned them round With the turning, turning, turning years - The Accrington Pals. Schooldays' end the lads all went To work, some spinning, some weaving in the sheds, On the land or down the pit, Working hard to earn their daily bread. And they all went walking up old Pendle Hill, On Sundays the larks sang high above the dales. Little Willie Riley played his mandolin and sang, They were laughing, they were singing then - The Accrington Pals. 1916 came the call, "We need more lads to battle with the Hun. Lads of Lancashire, heed the call, With God on our side, the battle will soon be won." So they all came marching to the beating of the drums, Down from the fields and factories they come, Smiling at the girls who Came to see them on their way. They were marching, marching, marching away - The Accrington Pals. Blue sky shining on a perfect day, A lark was singing, high above the Somme. Brothers, pals and fathers lay Watching that sweet bird sing in the quiet of the dawn. And they all went walking out towards the howling guns, Talking and laughing, calmly walking on, Believing in the lies that Left them dying in the mud, And they're lying, lying, lying still - The Accrington Pals. Smoky town which heard the news, Down in the valley, smoky little streets. Houses quiet and curtains pulled, All round the town a silent shroud of grief. And the larks were singing still above old Pendle Hill, The wind was in the bracken and the sun was shining still. A lark was singing sweetly as The evening fell upon the Somme. (spoken) For Edward Parkinson, Bobby Henderson, Willie Clegg, Johnny Molloy, Norman Jones, Albert Berry, Willie Riley - (sung) The Accrington Pals. (drum-roll into brass band arrangement of "The Battle of the Somme") |
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09 Feb 04 - 10:56 AM (#1112558) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST Thanks for this. The only reference I had was "Silent Night 1915" which turned up nothing on a DT search hence the request. Much appreciated |
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09 Mar 04 - 02:14 AM (#1132034) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST A most beautiful, heart-stirring rendition of this song is done by the duo, "Men of Worth", www.menofworth.com on their newest CD, "The Pattern Dance". If you ever have a chance to see them in concert, please do! I recently located this website....it's very informative. |
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08 Dec 05 - 11:27 PM (#1623388) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST can any body find me the name of the song |
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09 Dec 05 - 11:38 AM (#1623607) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: Peace www.copperplatemailorder.com/jlcd001.html www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=6892& messages=68&page=1&desc=yes www.silkwoodlive.com/recordings.htm |
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13 Dec 05 - 04:51 PM (#1626657) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 / Christmas 1914 From: GUEST Cormac MacConnell from Enniskillen, Ireland wrote the song which is called "A Silent Night Christmas 1915@, sung by Gerry Lynch from Clare in Ireland |
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14 Dec 05 - 10:12 AM (#1627156) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 / Christmas 1914 From: sian, west wales There's a new film - a European co-production - titled Merry Christmas about this event, being released this week, or maybe next? Saw it on BBC Breakfast news. siân |
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16 Dec 05 - 03:02 PM (#1628967) Subject: a silent night christmas 1915 lyrics From: GUEST |
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10 Nov 06 - 04:47 PM (#1882522) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST |
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10 Nov 06 - 04:57 PM (#1882533) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: Peace A sound bite of Jerry Lynch's "A Silent Night (Christmas 1915)" |
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23 Dec 07 - 08:00 PM (#2221609) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST,cathy the legend i was lookin for the words of this song and found them yes you can thank me it took me ages..... CHRISTMAS 1915 1915 on Christmas day On the western front the guns all died away And lying in the mud on bags of sand We heard a germen sing from no mans land He had a tenor voice so pure and true The words were strange but every note we knew Soaring ore the living dead and dammed The germen sang of peace from no mans land Oh silent night no cannons roar A king is born of peace for evermore Alls calm, alls bright all brothers hand in hand In nineteen and fifteen in no mans land They left there trenches and we left ours Beneath tins hats the smiles bloomed like wild flowers With photos, sigurates and boats of wine We built a solders truce on the front line There singer was a lad of twenty one We begged another song before the dawn And sitting in the mud and blood and fear He sang again the song I longed to hear Oh silent night no cannons roar A king is born of peace for evermore Alls calm, alls bright all brothers hand in hand Midst gas and rusty wire in no mans land And in the morning all the guns boomed in the rain And we killed them and they killed us again With binit, boom, bullet gas and flame And neither we are them atall to blame There was heavy fighting rite throughout the day For one night's peace we bloody well did pay At night they charged we fought them hand to hand And I killed the boy that sang in no mans land Oh silent night no cannons roar A king is born of peace for evermore Alls calm, alls bright all brothers hand in hand And that young solder sings The sound of peace still rings Tho the captains and the kings build no mans land Sleep in heavenly peace |
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08 Jan 08 - 08:21 PM (#2231615) Subject: Lyr Add: A SILENT NIGHT (CHRISTMAS 1915) From: GUEST I just bought the album to get the song, and in the meantime someone has posted it on youtube. Anyway, I did the words before I saw the last post, and I've just a few small corrections or differences: A SILENT NIGHT (CHRISTMAS 1915) Written by Cormac MacConnell, sung by Jerry Lynch Nineteen-fifteen on Christmas day, On the Western Front, the guns all died away, And lying in the mud on bags of sand, We heard a German sing from no man's land. He had a tenor voice so pure and true. The words were strange but every note we knew. Soaring o'er the living, dead and damned, The German sang of peace from no man's land. CHORUS: Oh silent night, no cannons roar. A king is born of peace forevermore. All's calm, all's bright, All brothers hand in hand, In nineteen-and-fifteen in no man's land. They left their trenches and we left ours. Beneath tin hats, the smiles bloomed like wild flowers. With photos, cigarettes and tots of wine, We built a soldier's truce on the front line. Their singer was a lad of twenty-one. We begged another song before the dawn, And sitting in the mud and blood and fear, He sang again the song all longed to hear. CHORUS: Oh silent night, no cannons roar. A king is born of peace forevermore. All's calm, all's bright, All brothers hand in hand, Midst gas and rusty wire in no man's land. And in the morning, all the guns boomed in the rain, And we killed them and they killed us again, With bayonet, bomb, bullet, gas and flame, And neither we nor they at all to blame. There was heavy fighting right throughout the day. For one night's peace we bloodily did pay. At night they charged, we fought them hand to hand, And I killed the boy that sang in no man's land. CHORUS: Oh silent night, no cannons roar. A king is born of peace forevermore. All's calm, all's bright, All brothers hand in hand, And that young soldier sings, And the sound of peace still rings, Though the captains and all the kings build no man's land. Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright, Round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. |
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03 Feb 09 - 04:03 PM (#2556445) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST,Daithi Gerry Lynch sings it |
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05 Nov 09 - 05:40 PM (#2760413) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Night 1915 From: GUEST,Mrs Love The song you are referring to is the famous carol by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber Stille Nacht - Silent Night. It was sung at Christmas in the trenches and there is a scene in the play Oh What A Lovely War depicting this. The words are: Silent Night, Holy Night All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin, Mother and child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Sleep in Heavenly Peace. There are 2 more verses. Other people have written their own songs about this event. |
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06 Dec 10 - 11:49 PM (#3047891) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Silent Night (Christmas 1915) From: GUEST,guest No it is Christmas 1915 by Celtic Thunder one of the best songs... true story of course. |