The Green Fields Of France
Read The Green Fields Of France lyrics by John Mcdermott on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
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The Green Fields Of France
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How do you do young willie mcbride,
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside,
And rest for a while neath the warm summer sun,
Ive been walking all day and Im nearly done
I see by your gravestone you were only 19
When you joined the great fall-in in 1916
I hope you died well and I hope you died clean
Or young willie mcbride was it slow and obscene.
Did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly
Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down
Did the band play the last post and chorus
Did the pipes play the flowers of the forest
Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined
Although you died back in 1916
In that faithful heart are you forever 19
Or are you a stranger without even a name
Enclosed then forever behind a glass frame
In an old photograph torn, battered and stained
And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame.
Did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly
Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down
Did the band play the last post and chorus
Did the pipes play the flowers of the forest
The sun now it shines on the green fields of france
Theres a warm summer breeze makes the red poppies dance
And look how the sun shines from under the clouds
Theres no gas, no barbwire, theres no guns firing now
But here in this graveyard its still no mans land
The countless white crosses stand mute in the sand
To mans blind indifference to his fellow man
To a whole generation that were butchered and damned.
Did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly
Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down
Did the band play the last post and chorus
Did the pipes play the flowers of the forest
Now young willie mcbride I cant help wonder why
Do those who lie here know why did they die
Did they believe when they answered the call
Did they really believe that this war would end wars
Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain
The killing and the dying were all done in vain
For young willie mcbride it all happened again,
And again and again and again and again
Did they beat the drum slowly did they play the fife lowly
Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down
Did the band play the last post and chorus
Did the pipes play the flowers of the forest
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Who performs "The Green Fields Of France"?
John Mcdermott performs "The Green Fields Of France", and this lyric page sits inside the John Mcdermott catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "The Green Fields Of France"?
Yes. The related section below points to Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms and Danny Boy with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by John Mcdermott?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through John Mcdermott's lyric pages.
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