The Poolie Bunker

very very touching mr offshore

This thread brought this little tune to mind.....

When I was on horseback, wasn't I pretty?
When I was on horseback, wasn't I gay?
Wasn't I pretty when I entered Cork City
And met with my downfall on the fourteenth of May?

Six jolly soldiers to carry my coffin,
Six jolly soldiers to march by my side,
It's six jolly soldiers take a bunch of red roses
Well for to smell them as we go along.

Beat the drums slowly and play the pipes lowly
Play up the dead march as we go along,
And bring me to Tipperary and lay me down easy
I am a young soldier that never done wrong.

When I was on horseback, wasn't I pretty?
When I was on horseback, wasn't I gay?
Wasn't I pretty when I entered Cork City
And met with my downfall on the fourteenth of May?

Where's that from then. There's lots of variations on the traditional songs buts thats not one I've heard before. Obviously Cork but who dug it out

It's Steeleye Span.

1260 - Brian O'Neill, during the assault on the Earldom of Ulster, is defeated and killed by the forces of Roger des Auters at the battle of Down (renamed by de Courcy as Downpatrick)

I think every child should go to Ypres in Belgium to see the history of the first world war and to get an inkling of how terrible war can be. Stand on the steps of cenotaph at Tyne Cot cemetary and its white headstones as far as the eye can see in each direction.

The other thing is the respect that that little town has for what was done for them. Each night, one once a year, every single night; the traffic in the town in halted while the last post is sounded at the Menim Gate. It's a very touching ceremony.

The Green Fields of France was written by Eric Bogle, a Scotsman living in Australia. When Labour came to power in 1997 The Times asked a lot of the politicians what there favourite song was (a bit like the current "what's on your i-pod") and a certain T Blair named The Green Fields of France as his favourite. He liked the song but time proved he preferred sending men to war. Bloody hypocrite.

Eric Bogle also wrote the song The Band Played Waltzing Matilda about the Anzac invasions in Gallipoli in the First World War. Well worth a listen to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG48Ftsr ... re=related

Another great Eric Bogle anti-war song is 'My youngest son came home today',covered by Billy Bragg.
The Pogues do a great cover of "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"
The Dropkick Murphys and The Men They Couldnt Hang both do good covers of "Green Fields of France"
An Eric Bogle song that I would love to play when Im DJing is an ironic song called "I hate wogs" but Im afraid that the irony would be lost as people would only hear the title & not actually listen to the words

those afore mentioned songs are fantastic!

the green fields of france
best version i have heard was by davey arthur and the furyes absolute class
i also enjoy the Celtic anthem Fields of Athenry