No Man's Land (Eric Bogle song)

"No Man's Land" (also known as "The Green Fields of France" or "Willie McBride") is a song written in 1976 by Scottish-Australian 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 pipe 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 British ballad called "The Unfortunate Rake" and the Irish Ballad Lock Hospital. In 2009 Eric told an audience in Weymouth that he'd 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 Eric, the framed copy of the poem was credited to 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]

Who was "Willie McBride?"

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 World War I 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 War 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 Authuille British Cemetery, near Albert and Beaumont-Hamel, where the Inniskilling Fusilliers were deployed as part of the 29th Division.^[3].

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. The melody and words vary somewhat from the Eric Bogle original. It was also recorded by Dropkick Murphys, who changed the lyrics only slightly. Eric Bogle has repeatedly stated that his own favourite recording of the song is by John McDermott.

Film maker Pete Robertson^[4] used the Dropkick Murphys version in his 2008 short film The Green Fields of France.^[5][6]

Cover versions include:

• Alaskan song writer 907Britt (2010), as "William McBride"^[7]
• Alex Beaton (1995), on the album The Water Is Wide
• Angelic Upstarts (1986), on the album Power Of The Press
• Asonance (2000), in a Czech version "Zelené francouzské pláně" ("The Green Fields of France"), on the album Alison Gross
• Attila the Stockbroker (1987)
• Chris A Butler (English Singer/Songwriter) as "The Green Fields of France"^[8]
• Bok, Muir & Trickett (1978)
• Bob Dylan
• Clare Bowditch, Tim Rogers and Gotye (2007)
• Jake Burns, on his album Drinkin' Again
• Celtic Tenors (2002), on the album So Strong
• Celtic Thunder (2009), as "The Green Fields of France", on the album Take Me Home
• The Chieftains
• The Clancy Brothers
• Liam Clancy
• Cobbers (Australian folk band), (1979) live on the album "Bushland Dreaming"
• The Corries
• Damh the Bard (2009), as "The Green Fields of France", on the album Tales from the Crow Man
• Donovan (1980), on the album Neutronica
• Dramtreeo (1992), as a duet on the album Dramtreeo^[9]
• Dropkick Murphys (2005), as "The Green Fields of France", on the album The Warrior's Code
• The Dubliners
• Eric Fish, in the German version by Hannes Wader
• The Fenians (1999), on their album Band Of Rogues^[10]
• The Fureys
• Fist Of Steel, as "Green Fields Of France"
• Priscilla Herdman (1982), on the album Forgotten Dreams
• The High Kings (2010) on the album "Memory Lane" as "Green Fields of France"
• The Irish Tenors on "Ellis Island" as "The Green Fields of France"
• Iain MacKintosh (1976), on the album Live in Glasgow
• Kevin McKrell (1989), as "Greenfields of France", on the album Bound For Boston
• The Men They Couldn't Hang (1984), as "The Green Fields of France"
• Moke (2011), on the album Till death do us part theatre tour
• Off Kilter (2005), on the album Kick It!
• Peter, Paul and Mary (1990), as "No Man's Land", on the album Flowers and Stones
• Prussian Blue (2005), as "Green Fields Of France", on the album The Path We Chose
• Plethyn in a Welsh translation: "Gwaed ar eu Dwylo" (Blood on their Hands)^[11]
• French singer Renaud (2009), in a French version "Willie McBride", on the album Molly Malone
• The Band, Bugles, Pipes & Drums of the Royal Irish Regiment (2001), as "Green Fields of France," on the album Last of the Great Whales
• Robert Marr (2011) as "No Man's Land", on the album "Celticism"
• Saga
• John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew (2008), on the album Behind the Lines
• Shilelagh Law, on the album Good Intentions
• Skrewdriver (1988), as "Green Fields of France"
• Sons of Maxwell (1996), as "The Green Fields of France"
• Stage Bottles, as "Green Fields Of France"
• Stiff Little Fingers
• Stockton's Wing (1978), as "No Man's Land" on the album Stockton's Wing
• June Tabor (1977), as 'No Mans Land', on the album Ashes and Diamonds and on Folk Anthology
• Hannes Wader (1980), in a German version "Es ist an der Zeit" (1980)^[2]
• Charlie Zahm (1997), on the album Festival Favorites

The Folk Process

The song "Willie McBride's Reply" by Stephn L Suffet was written in the same meter as "No Man's Land" and purports to be from the viewpoint of the dead soldier. Unlike "No Man's Land," all the lyrics of the "Reply" are specifically political in nature, and were written to rebut Eric Bogle's antiwar sentiments. It is not clear that the melody has ever been commercially recorded with the new lyrics, but the "Reply" stands as an example of the folk process at work.^[12]

See also

• And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
• Streets of Laredo

Footnotes

1. ^ YouTube video of Weymouth performance
2. ^ ^{a b} No Man's Land (The Green Fields of France)
3. ^ ^{a b} Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
4. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3306490/
5. ^ http://www.foggydewproductions.com/gff
6. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1372693/
7. ^ http://www.youtube.com/user/907Britt#p/u/6/ek2zFmTQfLo
8. ^ http://www.reverbnation.com/chrisbutler
9. ^ Dramtreeo's site
10. ^ CDNow.com
11. ^ "Gwaed ar eu Dwylo" by Myrddin ap Dafydd: Lyrics
12. ^ /[1]

Further reading

• Lyrics to No Man's Land at Eric Bogle's official website (PDF only)
• 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 5 languages at the Antiwar Songs Website.
• Lyrics guitar chords and video to 'The Green Fields Of France' http://unitedireland.tripod.com/id169.html

External links

• The Green Fields Of France – Dropkick Murphys [Song Review & Lyrics] on ICELIA | Music & Media