"No Man's Land" (also known as "The Green Fields of France" or "Willie McBride") is a song written in 1976 by Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter Eric Bogle, reflecting on the grave of a young man who died in World War I. Its chorus refers to two famous pieces of military music, the "Last Post" and the "Flowers of the Forest". Its melody, its refrain ("did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly"), and elements of its subject matter (a young man cut down in his prime) are similar to those of "Streets of Laredo", a North American cowboy ballad whose origins can be traced back to an 18th-century English ballad called "The Unfortunate Rake" and the Irish Ballad "Lock Hospital". In 2009, Bogle told an audience in Weymouth that he had read about a girl who had been presented with a copy of the song by then prime minister Tony Blair, who called it "his favourite anti-war poem". According to Bogle, the framed copy of the poem credited him, but stated that he had been killed in World War I.[1]
It's a song that was written about the military cemeteries in Flanders and Northern France. In 1976, my wife and I went to three or four of these military cemeteries and saw all the young soldiers buried there.
According to the song, the gravestone of the soldier, Willie McBride, says he was 19 years old when he died in 1916. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, there were eight soldiers named "William McBride", and a further six listed as "W. McBride", who died in France or Belgium during the First World War but none matches the soldier in the song. Two "William McBrides" and one "W. McBride" died in 1916 but one is commemorated in the Thiepval Memorial and has no gravestone. The other two are buried in the Authuille Military Cemetery but one was aged 21 and the age of the other is unknown. All three were from Irish regiments.[3]
Piet Chielens, coordinator of the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, Belgium, and organizer of yearly peace concerts in Flanders, once checked all 1,700,000 names that are registered with the Commonwealth War Commission. He found no fewer than ten Privates William McBride.[citation needed] Three of these William McBrides fell in 1916; two were members of an Irish Regiment, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and died more or less in the same spot during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. One was 21, the other 19 years old. The 19-year-old Private William McBride is buried in the Authuille Military Cemetery, near Albert and Beaumont-Hamel, where the Inniskillen Fusiliers were deployed as part of the 29th Division.[3] The 19-year-old Private William McBride can be found at Grave A. 36, near the back of the cemetery.
Armagh historian Trevor Geary traced the Willie McBride (12/23965) to Roan Cottage, Roughan, Lislea in County Armagh BT60 3AF. This was based on the gravestone at Authuile Military Cemetery. [4]
The name might have also been inspired by the naval pseudonym of Godfrey Herbert, the Captain of the Royal Navy, also nicknamed "Baralong Herbert" due to infamous Baralong incidents.[5] He was referred to as Captain William McBride through the war by the British admiralty and other authorities when mentioning the commander of the Baralong, to prevent any retaliation from the Germans should they reveal his identity upon capture.
Bogle himself has stated that he had no particular soldier in mind in choosing the name "Willie McBride"; "McBride" was simply a convenient rhyme for "grave side", and he also wanted to give the soldier an Irish name as a counter to the anti-Irish sentiment prevalent in Britain at the time.[6]
Cover versions and recordings
The song (as "The Green Fields of France") was a huge success for The Furey Brothers and Davey Arthur in the 1980s in Ireland and beyond.[7] The melody and words vary somewhat from the Bogle original with some of the Scots phrases replaced (e.g. Did the rifles fire o'er ye? is often replaced by Did they play the death march?).
It was also recorded by Dropkick Murphys, who changed the lyrics slightly. Film maker Pete Robertson[8] used this version in his 2008 short film The Green Fields of France.[9][10] The most famous version in the UK was by the Men They Couldn't Hang released in 1984.
The German version of the song "Es ist an der Zeit" (English: "Time has come [for change]") by Hannes Wader became one of the anthems of the German peace movement in the 1980s. It continues to be very popular till today, and has been covered by many other German artists. In Wader's version the soldiers name is unknown, and the lyrics are more accusatory in tone than in Bogle's version, with the German versions refrain going "They [i.e. the government] lied to you then, just like they still lie to us today".
Bogle has repeatedly stated that his own favourite recording of the song is by John McDermott.[citation needed] Other cover versions include:
1914 (2021) as "The Green Fields on France" on the album Where Fear and Weapons Meet
Slim Dusty, on his album The Man Who Steadies The Lead as "No Man's Land."
Euskefeurat, of Sweden, can be said to have made two covers, one borrowing the melody but changing the lyrics, the other borrowing the theme but changing the tune and most details.
Ian Stuart Donaldson & Stigger (1991), as "Green Fields of France" on the album Patriotic Ballads
June Tabor (1977), as "No Man's Land / The Flowers o' the Forest" (with the later song as an instrumental fade out of the former), on the album Ashes and Diamonds and on Folk Anthology
Wacholder (1989), Interpretation of Waders German version on their Album Es ist an der Zeit
Hannes Wader (1980), in a German version "Es ist an der Zeit"[2]
Charlie Zahm (1997), on the album Festival Favorites
The cover differed greatly from the original, mainly in that it contained only the lyrics from the first two and a half verses and so omitted the material that contained the anti-war sentiment underlying the song. There were several objections to this version of the song from individuals and organizations on such grounds as:
the version sanitizes the anti-war message and gives the impression of a false history
it insults the writer of the song and ultimately the people in the armed forces. [1]
Bogle himself wrote a piece on the controversy for The Guardian website: he said that whilst he didn't approve of the dropping of verses and the "rock'n'roll arrangement" in Stone's version, he acknowledged that the latter was a matter of personal preference, and that "to do it acoustically and include all four verses and choruses would have made the song nearly seven minutes long and of doubtful commercial appeal in today’s music market", and that the broader appeal of Stone's recording would bring the song to the attention of people who would never have heard it before. He expressed the view that the cover version "certainly doesn’t glorify (war), but it doesn’t condemn it either... (it's) sentimentalising perhaps, trivialising even, but not glorifying". He concluded that neither he nor his publisher would be taking legal action against those involved with the cover, and that "I would have wished for a version of my song that could have been truer to my original intentions in writing it: illustrating the utter waste of war while paying tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those brave young men who fought. But if Joss’s cover touches a heart or two here and there and makes some people reflect, perhaps for the first time, on the true price of war, then her version will have a measure of validity and value".[13]
Willie McBride's reply
A writer named Stephen L. Suffet wrote a song in 1997, from the point of Willie McBride respectfully answering Bogle, set to the same tune as No Man's Land, and saying that he doesn't regret fighting in the First World War.[14] The lyrics were included in the book Eric Bogle, Music and the Great War: 'An Old Man's Tears'.[15]
^"Eric Bogle & John Munro – Green Fields of France". YouTube. 30 August 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
^Messimer, Dwight R (2002). Verschollen: World War I U-boat Losses. Naval Institute Press. p. 23. ISBN1-55750-475-X.
^Eric Bogle interview on Radio New Zealand, 25 April 2016
^Walsh, Michael J. K. (2019). "Eric Bogle's No Man's Land and the grave of Willie McBride at the Somme". Contemporary British History. 33 (4): 573–586. doi:10.1080/13619462.2018.1519432. S2CID 149672661.
^"Pete Robertson". IMDb.com. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
^. Foggydewproductions.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
^"The Green Fields of France (2009)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
^"John McDermott – Battlefields of Green: Songs Of..." AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
^"Music". Cor.cochion.tripod.com. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
^Bogle, Eric (12 November 2014). "Eric Bogle: I don't like Joss Stone's cover of No Man's Land, but I won't sue". theguardian.com. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
^Walsh, Michael JK (2 January 2018). Eric Bogle, Music and the Great War: 'An Old Man's Tears'. Routledge. p. 11. ISBN9781351764483. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
^Walsh, Michael JK (2 January 2018). Eric Bogle, Music and the Great War: 'An Old Man's Tears'. Routledge. p. 104. ISBN9781351764483. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
The Green Fields Of France – Dropkick Murphys (Song Review & Lyrics) on ICELIA | Music & Media
January 02, 2023
land, eric, bogle, song, land, also, known, green, fields, france, willie, mcbride, song, written, 1976, scottish, born, australian, folk, singer, songwriter, eric, bogle, reflecting, grave, young, died, world, chorus, refers, famous, pieces, military, music, . No Man s Land also known as The Green Fields of France or Willie McBride is a song written in 1976 by Scottish born Australian folk singer songwriter Eric Bogle reflecting on the grave of a young man who died in World War I Its chorus refers to two famous pieces of military music the Last Post and the Flowers of the Forest Its melody its refrain did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly and elements of its subject matter a young man cut down in his prime are similar to those of Streets of Laredo a North American cowboy ballad whose origins can be traced back to an 18th century English ballad called The Unfortunate Rake and the Irish Ballad Lock Hospital In 2009 Bogle told an audience in Weymouth that he had read about a girl who had been presented with a copy of the song by then prime minister Tony Blair who called it his favourite anti war poem According to Bogle the framed copy of the poem credited him but stated that he had been killed in World War I 1 It s a song that was written about the military cemeteries in Flanders and Northern France In 1976 my wife and I went to three or four of these military cemeteries and saw all the young soldiers buried there Eric Bogle 2 Contents 1 Identity of Willie McBride 2 Cover versions and recordings 2 1 Joss Stone 3 Willie McBride s reply 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksIdentity of Willie McBride EditAccording to the song the gravestone of the soldier Willie McBride says he was 19 years old when he died in 1916 According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission there were eight soldiers named William McBride and a further six listed as W McBride who died in France or Belgium during the First World War but none matches the soldier in the song Two William McBrides and one W McBride died in 1916 but one is commemorated in the Thiepval Memorial and has no gravestone The other two are buried in the Authuille Military Cemetery but one was aged 21 and the age of the other is unknown All three were from Irish regiments 3 Piet Chielens coordinator of the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres Belgium and organizer of yearly peace concerts in Flanders once checked all 1 700 000 names that are registered with the Commonwealth War Commission He found no fewer than ten Privates William McBride citation needed Three of these William McBrides fell in 1916 two were members of an Irish Regiment the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and died more or less in the same spot during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 One was 21 the other 19 years old The 19 year old Private William McBride is buried in the Authuille Military Cemetery near Albert and Beaumont Hamel where the Inniskillen Fusiliers were deployed as part of the 29th Division 3 The 19 year old Private William McBride can be found at Grave A 36 near the back of the cemetery Armagh historian Trevor Geary traced the Willie McBride 12 23965 to Roan Cottage Roughan Lislea in County Armagh BT60 3AF This was based on the gravestone at Authuile Military Cemetery 4 The name might have also been inspired by the naval pseudonym of Godfrey Herbert the Captain of the Royal Navy also nicknamed Baralong Herbert due to infamous Baralong incidents 5 He was referred to as Captain William McBride through the war by the British admiralty and other authorities when mentioning the commander of the Baralong to prevent any retaliation from the Germans should they reveal his identity upon capture Bogle himself has stated that he had no particular soldier in mind in choosing the name Willie McBride McBride was simply a convenient rhyme for grave side and he also wanted to give the soldier an Irish name as a counter to the anti Irish sentiment prevalent in Britain at the time 6 Cover versions and recordings EditThe song as The Green Fields of France was a huge success for The Furey Brothers and Davey Arthur in the 1980s in Ireland and beyond 7 The melody and words vary somewhat from the Bogle original with some of the Scots phrases replaced e g Did the rifles fire o er ye is often replaced by Did they play the death march It was also recorded by Dropkick Murphys who changed the lyrics slightly Film maker Pete Robertson 8 used this version in his 2008 short film The Green Fields of France 9 10 The most famous version in the UK was by the Men They Couldn t Hang released in 1984 The German version of the song Es ist an der Zeit English Time has come for change by Hannes Wader became one of the anthems of the German peace movement in the 1980s It continues to be very popular till today and has been covered by many other German artists In Wader s version the soldiers name is unknown and the lyrics are more accusatory in tone than in Bogle s version with the German versions refrain going They i e the government lied to you then just like they still lie to us today Bogle has repeatedly stated that his own favourite recording of the song is by John McDermott citation needed Other cover versions include 1914 2021 as The Green Fields on France on the album Where Fear and Weapons Meet Angelic Upstarts 1986 on the album Power of the Press Asonance 2000 in a Czech version Zelene francouzske plane The Green Fields of France on the album Alison Gross Attila the Stockbroker 1987 Alex Beaton 1995 on the album The Water Is Wide Blackthorn on the album First Light Clare Bowditch Tim Rogers and Gotye 2007 Jake Burns on his album Drinkin Again Neil Byrne and Ryan Kelly of Celtic Thunder as No Man s Land on the album Acoustically Irish Celtic Tenors 2002 on the album So Strong Celtic Thunder 2009 as The Green Fields of France on the album Take Me Home The Clancy Brothers Liam Clancy The Corries Donovan 1980 on the album Neutronica Dropkick Murphys 2005 as The Green Fields of France on the album The Warrior s Code Slim Dusty on his album The Man Who Steadies The Lead as No Man s Land Euskefeurat of Sweden can be said to have made two covers one borrowing the melody but changing the lyrics the other borrowing the theme but changing the tune and most details The Fenians 1999 on their album Band of Rogues Eric Fish in the German version by Hannes Wader Tommy Fleming The Fureys and Davey Arthur 1979 as The Green Fields of France on the album The Green Fields of France Vin Garbutt 2014 on the album Synthetic Hues as No Man s Land Glengarry Bhoys 1999 as Willie McBride on the album Home Again Golden Bough as Green Fields of France on their album Golden Bough Gordon Bok Ed Trickett and Ann Mayo Muir 1978 on their album The Ways of Man Kathy Hampson s Free Elastic Band Henry Marten s Ghost 2005 as Green Fields of France on the album High on Spirits Priscilla Herdman 1982 on the album Forgotten Dreams The High Kings 2010 on the album Memory Lane as Green Fields of France and 2016 on the album Grace and Glory The Houghton Weavers The Irish Tenors on Ellis Island as The Green Fields of France Iain MacKintosh 1976 on the album Live in Glasgow Jolly Rogers 2011 on the album Lose Cannons John McDermott 1993 on the album Battlefields of Green 11 The Men They Couldn t Hang 1984 as The Green Fields of France No Man s Land This version reached No 1 in the UK Indie Singles Chart Moke 2011 on the album Till Death Do Us Part North Sea Gas 2010 on the album Spirit of the Banished Off Kilter 2005 on the album Kick It Pele 1992 as The Green Fields of France on the album Fireworks Peter Paul and Mary 1990 as No Man s Land on the album Flowers and Stones Plethyn in a Welsh translation Gwaed ar eu Dwylo Blood on their Hands 12 Prussian Blue 2005 as Green Fields of France on the album The Path We Chose Renaud 2009 in a French version Willie McBride on the album Molly Malone Balade irlandaise Saga Skrewdriver 1988 as Greenfields of France on the album After the Fire John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew 2008 on the album Behind the Lines Sons of Maxwell 1996 as The Green Fields of France Stiff Little Fingers Stockton s Wing 1978 as No Man s Land on the album Stockton s Wing Joss Stone feat Jeff Beck Poppy Appeal 2014 Ian Stuart Donaldson amp Stigger 1991 as Green Fields of France on the album Patriotic Ballads June Tabor 1977 as No Man s Land The Flowers o the Forest with the later song as an instrumental fade out of the former on the album Ashes and Diamonds and on Folk Anthology Wacholder 1989 Interpretation of Waders German version on their Album Es ist an der Zeit Hannes Wader 1980 in a German version Es ist an der Zeit 2 Charlie Zahm 1997 on the album Festival FavoritesJoss Stone Edit A 2014 cover of No Man s Land by Joss Stone featuring Jeff Beck was produced as the Official Poppy Appeal Single for The Royal British Legion The end result was two recordings one being a Radio edit and a video set against the backdrop of the Tower of London focusing on the Poppies in the Moat installation The cover differed greatly from the original mainly in that it contained only the lyrics from the first two and a half verses and so omitted the material that contained the anti war sentiment underlying the song There were several objections to this version of the song from individuals and organizations on such grounds as the version sanitizes the anti war message and gives the impression of a false history it insults the writer of the song and ultimately the people in the armed forces 1 Bogle himself wrote a piece on the controversy for The Guardian website he said that whilst he didn t approve of the dropping of verses and the rock n roll arrangement in Stone s version he acknowledged that the latter was a matter of personal preference and that to do it acoustically and include all four verses and choruses would have made the song nearly seven minutes long and of doubtful commercial appeal in today s music market and that the broader appeal of Stone s recording would bring the song to the attention of people who would never have heard it before He expressed the view that the cover version certainly doesn t glorify war but it doesn t condemn it either it s sentimentalising perhaps trivialising even but not glorifying He concluded that neither he nor his publisher would be taking legal action against those involved with the cover and that I would have wished for a version of my song that could have been truer to my original intentions in writing it illustrating the utter waste of war while paying tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those brave young men who fought But if Joss s cover touches a heart or two here and there and makes some people reflect perhaps for the first time on the true price of war then her version will have a measure of validity and value 13 Willie McBride s reply EditA writer named Stephen L Suffet wrote a song in 1997 from the point of Willie McBride respectfully answering Bogle set to the same tune as No Man s Land and saying that he doesn t regret fighting in the First World War 14 The lyrics were included in the book Eric Bogle Music and the Great War An Old Man s Tears 15 See also EditList of anti war songs And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda Streets of Laredo References Edit Eric Bogle amp John Munro Green Fields of France YouTube 30 August 2009 Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 13 October 2013 a b NO MAN S LAND THE GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE ERIC BOGLE 1976 a b Cemetery Details CWGC Retrieved 13 October 2013 https www bbc co uk news uk northern ireland 30587515 Willie McBride Armagh soldier s song continues to resonate By Gordon Adair 1 January 2015 BBC News NI Messimer Dwight R 2002 Verschollen World War I U boat Losses Naval Institute Press p 23 ISBN 1 55750 475 X Eric Bogle interview on Radio New Zealand 25 April 2016 Walsh Michael J K 2019 Eric Bogle s No Man s Land and the grave of Willie McBride at the Somme Contemporary British History 33 4 573 586 doi 10 1080 13619462 2018 1519432 S2CID 149672661 Pete Robertson IMDb com Retrieved 13 October 2013 The Green Fields of France Foggydewproductions com Archived from the original on 20 February 2012 Retrieved 13 October 2013 The Green Fields of France 2009 IMDb com Retrieved 13 October 2013 John McDermott Battlefields of Green Songs Of AllMusic Retrieved 25 February 2019 Music Cor cochion tripod com Retrieved 13 October 2013 Bogle Eric 12 November 2014 Eric Bogle I don t like Joss Stone s cover of No Man s Land but I won t sue theguardian com Retrieved 31 August 2016 Walsh Michael JK 2 January 2018 Eric Bogle Music and the Great War An Old Man s Tears Routledge p 11 ISBN 9781351764483 Retrieved 15 December 2019 Walsh Michael JK 2 January 2018 Eric Bogle Music and the Great War An Old Man s Tears Routledge p 104 ISBN 9781351764483 Retrieved 15 December 2019 External links EditLyrics to No Man s Land at Eric Bogle s official website at the Wayback Machine archived 30 December 2005 PDF Lyrics to No Man s Land The Green Fields of France in the Scots Independent Lyrics to No Man s Land The Green Fields of France with translations in many languages at the Antiwar Songs Website Lyrics guitar chords and video to The Green Fields Of France http unitedireland tripod com id169 html The Green Fields Of France Dropkick Murphys Song Review amp Lyrics on ICELIA Music amp Media Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title No Man 27s Land Eric Bogle song amp oldid 1130352447, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
