Fiddler's Green is an after-life where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire. In 19th-century English maritime folklore, it was a kind of after-life for sailors who had served at least fifty years at sea.[1][2][3]
Not all early mentions of Fiddler's Green are positive. For example, Edward Rose's The Sea-Devil, or, Son of a Bellows-Mender (1811) has the following dialogue:[4]
"a seaman never goes to hell—Fiddler's green is the tar's mooring-ground." "And where is Fiddler's green?" [...] "'tis the half-way house. A rare place sure enough, where Old Nick is employed to mix hot grog for sailors."
and a description published in a number of magazines around 1825:[5]
We are informed that there is in the other world, a place prepared for maids and bachelors called Fiddler's Green, where they are condemned, for the lack of good fellowship in this world, to dance together to all eternity.
More positively, Fiddler's Green is mentioned in Frederick Marryat's novel Snarleyyow; or, The Dog Fiend (1837), in a sailors' song with the chorus:[6]
At Fidler's Green, where seamen true, When here they've done their duty, The bowl of grog shall still renew, And pledge to love and beauty.
Herman Melville describes a Fiddler's Green as a sailors' term for the place on land "providentially set apart for dance-houses, doxies, and tapsters" in his posthumous novella Billy Budd, Sailor.
Fiddler's Green is the title of a 1950 novel by Ernest K. Gann, about a fugitive criminal who works as a seaman after stowing away.[7]
The author Richard McKenna wrote a story, first published in 1967, titled "Fiddler's Green,” in which he considers the power of the mind to create a reality of its own choosing, especially when a number of people consent to it. The main characters in this story are also sailors, and have known of the legend of Fiddler's Green for many years.[8]
In Patrick O'Brian's novel Post Captain (1972), the character Jack Aubrey describes several seamen living together on land by saying, "We'll lay in beer and skittles – it will be Fiddler's Green!".
In Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comic book series, Fiddler's Green is a place located inside of the Dreaming, a place that sailors have dreamed of for centuries. Fiddler's Green is also personified as a character as well as a location in the fictional world, the former largely based upon casual associations of G. K. Chesterton. In the 2022 TV adaption of the books, the personification is played by Stephen Fry. From November 12 to 14, 2004, a comic book convention promoted as "Fiddler's Green, A Sandman Convention" was held at the Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Author Neil Gaiman and several Sandman series artists, and others involved in the series' publication, participated in the convention, with profits benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
In musicedit
A song called "Fiddler's Green", or more often "Fo'c'sle Song", was written by John Conolly in 1966,[9] a Lincolnshire songwriter. It has been recorded by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior for their album Folk Songs of Olde England Vol. 2 (1968), by The Dubliners for their album Plain and Simple (1973), by The Yetties for their album All at Sea (1973), and by The Irish Rovers for their album Upon a Shamrock Shore: Songs of Ireland & the Irish (2000).[10] The American sailor band Schooner Fare credits the song for bringing together their band. The song is sung worldwide in nautical and Irish traditional circles, and is often mistakenly thought to be a traditional song.[11]
"Fiddler's Green" is a song from the album Road Apples by Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip, written for lead singer Gord Downie's young nephew Charles Gillespie, who died before the album was released.[12] The track was covered by Welsh band Stereophonics on their 1999 Deluxe album Performance and Cocktails
"Fiddler's Green" is a song from Marley's Ghost's album Four Spacious Guys (1996).
Fiddler's Green is the title track and name of Tim O'Brien's Grammy Award-winning 2005 album.
"Fiddler on the Green" is a song by German-American power metal supergroup Demons & Wizards, from their self-titled album released in 1999.
Fiddler's Green is mentioned in the Archie Fisher song "The Final Trawl" from the album Windward Away, about fishermen whose livelihoods are passing away.
Fiddler's Green is an outdoor amphitheatre in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
"Fiddler's Green" was recorded by the American quintet Bounding Main and released on their 2005 album Maiden Voyage.[13]
In artedit
Statue by Ray Lonsdale, installed in 2017 on Fish Quay in North Shields, England.[14]
In filmedit
In the George Romero movie Land Of The Dead, the human holdout, surrounded by water, is a former luxury development called Fiddler's Green.
In the United States militaryedit
The Cavalrymen's Poem, also entitled "Fiddlers' Green" was published in the US Army's Cavalry Journal in 1923 and became associated with the 1st Cavalry Division.[15]
Halfway down the trail to Hell in a shady meadow green,
are the Souls of all dead troopers camped near a good old-time canteen, and this eternal resting place is known as Fiddlers' Green.
Marching past, straight through to Hell, the Infantry are seen, accompanied by the Engineers, Artillery and Marine, for none but the shades of Cavalrymen dismount at Fiddlers' Green.
Though some go curving down the trail to seek a warmer scene, no trooper ever gets to Hell ere he's emptied his canteen and so rides back to drink again with friends at Fiddlers' Green.
And so when man and horse go down beneath a saber keen, or in a roaring charge fierce melee you stop a bullet clean, and the hostiles come to get your scalp, just empty your canteen and put your pistol to your head
and go to Fiddlers' Green.
The name has had other military uses. Many places associated with the US military have been named Fiddler's Green:[16]
^Rudnick, Natasha (August 19, 2016). "The Tragically Hip: 10 Essential Songs - "Fiddler's Green" (1991)". Rolling Stone.
^Fiddlers' Green (September 28, 2019). "Bounding Main". Bounding Main. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^David Morton (April 21, 2021). "The North Shields memorial to lost fishermen - how the striking statue was created". Chronicle Live. Reach plc. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
^"Fiddler's Green and other Cavalry Songs by JHS". Cavalry Journal. April 1923.
^Axelrod, Alan (March 5, 2013), Weird War: Curious Military Trivia, Union Square, p. 49, ISBN978-1-4351-4485-9
^Curry, Judi (July 29, 2019). "Restaurant Review: Fiddler's Green on Shelter Island in Point Loma". OB Rag. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
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For other uses see Fiddler s Green disambiguation Fiddler s Green is an after life where there is perpetual mirth a fiddle that never stops playing and dancers who never tire In 19th century English maritime folklore it was a kind of after life for sailors who had served at least fifty years at sea 1 2 3 Contents 1 In literature 2 In music 3 In art 4 In film 5 In the United States military 6 See also 7 References 8 Further readingIn literature editNot all early mentions of Fiddler s Green are positive For example Edward Rose s The Sea Devil or Son of a Bellows Mender 1811 has the following dialogue 4 a seaman never goes to hell Fiddler s green is the tar s mooring ground And where is Fiddler s green tis the half way house A rare place sure enough where Old Nick is employed to mix hot grog for sailors and a description published in a number of magazines around 1825 5 We are informed that there is in the other world a place prepared for maids and bachelors called Fiddler s Green where they are condemned for the lack of good fellowship in this world to dance together to all eternity More positively Fiddler s Green is mentioned in Frederick Marryat s novel Snarleyyow or The Dog Fiend 1837 in a sailors song with the chorus 6 At Fidler s Green where seamen true When here they ve done their duty The bowl of grog shall still renew And pledge to love and beauty Herman Melville describes a Fiddler s Green as a sailors term for the place on land providentially set apart for dance houses doxies and tapsters in his posthumous novella Billy Budd Sailor Fiddler s Green is the title of a 1950 novel by Ernest K Gann about a fugitive criminal who works as a seaman after stowing away 7 The author Richard McKenna wrote a story first published in 1967 titled Fiddler s Green in which he considers the power of the mind to create a reality of its own choosing especially when a number of people consent to it The main characters in this story are also sailors and have known of the legend of Fiddler s Green for many years 8 In Patrick O Brian s novel Post Captain 1972 the character Jack Aubrey describes several seamen living together on land by saying We ll lay in beer and skittles it will be Fiddler s Green Fiddler s Green is an extrasolar colony mentioned in Robert A Heinlein s novels Friday 1982 and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls 1985 In Neil Gaiman s The Sandman comic book series Fiddler s Green is a place located inside of the Dreaming a place that sailors have dreamed of for centuries Fiddler s Green is also personified as a character as well as a location in the fictional world the former largely based upon casual associations of G K Chesterton In the 2022 TV adaption of the books the personification is played by Stephen Fry From November 12 to 14 2004 a comic book convention promoted as Fiddler s Green A Sandman Convention was held at the Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis Minnesota Author Neil Gaiman and several Sandman series artists and others involved in the series publication participated in the convention with profits benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund In music editA song called Fiddler s Green or more often Fo c sle Song was written by John Conolly in 1966 9 a Lincolnshire songwriter It has been recorded by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior for their album Folk Songs of Olde England Vol 2 1968 by The Dubliners for their album Plain and Simple 1973 by The Yetties for their album All at Sea 1973 and by The Irish Rovers for their album Upon a Shamrock Shore Songs of Ireland amp the Irish 2000 10 The American sailor band Schooner Fare credits the song for bringing together their band The song is sung worldwide in nautical and Irish traditional circles and is often mistakenly thought to be a traditional song 11 Fiddler s Green is a song from the album Road Apples by Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip written for lead singer Gord Downie s young nephew Charles Gillespie who died before the album was released 12 The track was covered by Welsh band Stereophonics on their 1999 Deluxe album Performance and Cocktails Fiddler s Green is a song from Marley s Ghost s album Four Spacious Guys 1996 Fiddler s Green is the title track and name of Tim O Brien s Grammy Award winning 2005 album Fiddler s Green is a German folk rock band formed in 1990 Fiddler on the Green is a song by German American power metal supergroup Demons amp Wizards from their self titled album released in 1999 Fiddler s Green is mentioned in the Archie Fisher song The Final Trawl from the album Windward Away about fishermen whose livelihoods are passing away Fiddler s Green is also mentioned in the extended version of the song Hoist the Colors from the Pirates of the Caribbean films Friends of Fiddler s Green is a folk music group form Canada founded in 1971 Fiddler s Green is an outdoor amphitheatre in Greenwood Village Colorado Fiddler s Green was recorded by the American quintet Bounding Main and released on their 2005 album Maiden Voyage 13 In art editStatue by Ray Lonsdale installed in 2017 on Fish Quay in North Shields England 14 In film editIn the George Romero movie Land Of The Dead the human holdout surrounded by water is a former luxury development called Fiddler s Green In the United States military editThe Cavalrymen s Poem also entitled Fiddlers Green was published in the US Army s Cavalry Journal in 1923 and became associated with the 1st Cavalry Division 15 Halfway down the trail to Hell in a shady meadow green are the Souls of all dead troopers camped near a good old time canteen and this eternal resting place is known as Fiddlers Green Marching past straight through to Hell the Infantry are seen accompanied by the Engineers Artillery and Marine for none but the shades of Cavalrymen dismount at Fiddlers Green Though some go curving down the trail to seek a warmer scene no trooper ever gets to Hell ere he s emptied his canteen and so rides back to drink again with friends at Fiddlers Green And so when man and horse go down beneath a saber keen or in a roaring charge fierce melee you stop a bullet clean and the hostiles come to get your scalp just empty your canteen and put your pistol to your headand go to Fiddlers Green The name has had other military uses Many places associated with the US military have been named Fiddler s Green 16 The US Marine Corps operated Firebase Fiddler s Green in the Helmand River Valley in Helmand Province Afghanistan An artillery Fire Support Base in Military Region III in Vietnam in 1972 occupied principally by elements of 2nd Squadron 11th Armored Cavalry The US Navy s enlisted men s club in Sasebo Japan from 1952 to 1976 The cavalryman s poem about Fiddler s Green is the regimental poem of the US 2nd Cavalry Regiment The enlisted men s club at United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge An informal bar at the Fort Sill Officers Open Mess The stable and pasture used by Parsons Mounted Cavalry a cadet group at Texas A amp M University in College Station Texas A bar at the Saber amp Quill in Fort Knox Kentucky The larger of the two bars at the Leader s Club at Fort Benning Georgia Building 2805 at Fort Cavazos Texas the former officer s club A small enlisted club on the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California The base pub at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos California Former dining facility used by 2nd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk Louisiana An artillery only pub for the 10th Marine Regiment Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina A privately owned restaurant in San Diego California adjacent to Naval Base Point Loma and Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego 17 See also editBig Rock Candy Mountain Cockaigne Order of the Spur Paradise Tir na nog Friends of Fiddler s GreenReferences edit Eyers Jonathan March 1 2012 Don t Shoot the Albatross Nautical Myths and Superstitions London A amp C Black ISBN 978 1 4081 3131 2 The Sailor s magazine and naval journal American Seamen s Friend Society Life on the Ocean February 1898 p 168 Retrieved October 14 2011 Hotten John Camden 1859 A Dictionary of Modern Slang Cant and Vulgar Words ISBN 978 1164343998 Rose Edward 1811 The Sea Devil or Son of a Bellows Mender Plymouth Dock J Roach pp 24 25 Bachelor s elysium New York Mirror Vol 3 no 2 August 6 1825 p 10 Marryat Frederick 1837 Chapter IX Snarleyyow or The Dog Fiend Philadelphia E L Carey and A Hart hdl 2027 hvd hweec5 Gann Ernest K 1950 Fiddler s Green William Sloane Association McKenna Richard 1976 Casey Agonistes and Other Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories London Pan Books ISBN 978 0330248259 When a Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There s the Devil to Pay Seafaring Words in Everyday Speech by Olivia A Isil The Irish Rovers Upon A Shamrock Shore Songs Of Ireland And The Irish Discogs Archived from the original on February 23 2020 Retrieved February 23 2020 Blood Peter Patterson Annie eds 1988 Rise Up Singing Bethlehem Pennsylvania Sing Out p 201 ISBN 1 881322 12 2 O Fiddler s Green is a place I ve heard tell where fishermen go if they don t go to hell Rudnick Natasha August 19 2016 The Tragically Hip 10 Essential Songs Fiddler s Green 1991 Rolling Stone Fiddlers Green September 28 2019 Bounding Main Bounding Main Retrieved February 29 2024 David Morton April 21 2021 The North Shields memorial to lost fishermen how the striking statue was created Chronicle Live Reach plc Retrieved September 22 2022 Fiddler s Green and other Cavalry Songs by JHS Cavalry Journal April 1923 Axelrod Alan March 5 2013 Weird War Curious Military Trivia Union Square p 49 ISBN 978 1 4351 4485 9 Curry Judi July 29 2019 Restaurant Review Fiddler s Green on Shelter Island in Point Loma OB Rag Retrieved July 13 2020 Further reading editPage Michael Ingpen Robert 1985 Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were Viking Press ISBN 0 670 81607 8 Fiddlers green World Wide Words Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fiddler 27s Green amp oldid 1211547095, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
