Midnight Oil / Forgotten years

[martinez renaud]

Bonsoir à tous
Eric, c'est quand je vois comment vous enseignez aux élèves votre art, et avec quels supports, que je regrette de n'avoir pas été votre élève. Mes huit ans d'anglais n'auraient pas été vains
Merci pour ces traductions
Merci à tous pour votre esprit
Allez, un p'tit "Hey Joe" et au lit !
Amicalement
Renaud

[Eric Mansuy]

Voyons Renaud, "where are you goin' with that gun in your hand?" To bed? Sacrée (bonne) chanson pour rester éveillé, plutôt, non ?

Merci pour tant d'éloges, mais je doute que celles et ceux qui m'ont subi aient jamais pensé que c'était de l'art...

Plus sérieusement, j'espère que ce "fil" rebondira quelque peu : vous savez bien que ma passion pour une musique que nous aimons tous deux dépasse amplement mon penchant pour 14-18. C'est donc avec plaisir que je m'instruirais à l'occasion sur les deux sujets allant de pair, cette fois.

Je ne rajouterai que cette anecdote : une même famille a connu deux noms illustres, l'un durant la Grande Guerre, l'autre dans le milieu de la musique. Il s'agit des Seeger, puisque Pete Seeger, qui vient de fêter ses 90 ans, n'est autre que le neveu d'Alan Seeger, tombé le 4 juillet 1916. Deux hommes engagés, au sens le plus plein, le plus noble du terme.

Amicalement,
Eric

[martinez renaud]

Bonsoir Eric, bonsoir à tous
Là, vous m'en aprennez une bonne : Pete Seeger neveu de celui qui a rendez-vous avec la Mort ! Quelle surprise ! Je comprends mieux la personnalité de Pete, et son engagement
Du coup, ce soir : The Weavers, ou peut-être Woody Guthrie...
Amicalement
Renaud

[Eric Mansuy]

Bonjour à tous,
Bonjour Renaud,

Bien, nous ne sommes plus que deux à suivre ce "fil" , faisons donc comme si de rien n'était...

Voici un aperçu de ce que j'ai pu trouver concernant quelques "protest songs" de la Grande Guerre :

1. Hanging On the Old Barbed Wire

De toute évidence, il existe des versions plus ou moins longues de ce titre. Cela étant, l'esprit reste le même...

"If you want to find the Sergeant,
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want to find the Sergeant, I know where he is,
He's lying on the canteen floor.
I've seen him, I've seen him, lying on the canteen floor,
I've seen him, I've seen him, lying on the canteen floor.
If you want to find the Quarter-bloke
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want to find the Quarter-bloke, I know where he is,
He's miles and miles behind the line.
I've seen him, I've seen him, miles and miles and miles behind the line.
I've seen him, I've seen him, miles and miles and miles behind the line.
If you want the Sergeant-major,
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want the Sergeant-major, I know where he is.
He's tossing off the privates' rum.
I've seen him, I've seen him, tossing off the privates' rum.
I've seen him, I've seen him, tossing off the privates' rum.
If you want the C.O.,
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is.
If you want the C.O., I know where he is
He is down in a deep dug-out,
I've seen him, I've seen him, down in a deep dug-out,
I've seen him, I've seen him, down in a deep dug-out.
If you want to find the old battalion,
I know where they are, I know where they are, I know where they are
If you want to find the old battalion, I know where they are,
They're hanging on the old barbed wire,
I've seen 'em, I've seen 'em, hanging on the old barbed wire.
I've seen 'em, I've seen 'em, hanging on the old barbed wire."

--

"If you want to find the general
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is
If you want to find the general
I know where he is
He's pinning another medal on his chest
I saw him, I saw him
Pinning another medal on his chest
Pinning another medal on his chest

If you want to find the colonel
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is
If you want to find the colonel
I know where he is
He's sitting in comfort stuffing his bloody gut
I saw him, I saw him
Sitting in comfort stuffing his bloody gut
Sitting in comfort stuffing his bloody gut

If you want to find the seargent
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is
If you want to find the seargent
I know where he is
He's drinking all the company rum
I saw him, I saw him
Drinking all the company rum
Drinking all the company rum

If you want to find the private
I know where he is, I know where he is, I know where he is
If you want to find the private
I know where he is
He's hanging on the old barbed wire
I saw him, I saw him
Hanging on the old barbed wire
Hanging on the old barbed wire."

(Chumbawamba – English Rebel Songs 1381-1914)

-----

2. I Didn’t Raise my Boy to Be a Soldier
(décembre 1914 ; paroles d'Alfred Bryan, musique d'Al Piantadosi)

Ten million soldiers to the war have gone,
Who may never return again.
Ten million mothers' hearts must break,
For the ones who died in vain.
Head bowed down in sorrow in her lonely years,
I heard a mother murmur thro' her tears:

(refrain)
I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier,
I brought him up to be my pride and joy,
Who dares to put a musket on his shoulder,
To shoot some other mother’s darling boy?
Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,
It’s time to lay the sword and gun away,
There’d be no war today,
If mothers all would say,
I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier.

What victory can cheer a mother’s heart,
When she looks at her blighted home?
What victory can bring her back,
All she cared to call her own?
Let each mother answer in the year to be,
Remember that my boy belongs to me!"

-----

3. Don’t Take My Darling Boy Away
(1915 ; paroles de Will Dillon, musique d'Albert Von Tilzer)

"A mother was kneeling to pray
For loved ones at war far away
And there by her side, her one joy and pride,
Knelt down with her that day
Then came a knock on the door
Your boy is commanded to war
'No Captain please, here on my knees,
I plead for one I adore'
Don't take my darling boy away from me,
Don't send him off to war
You took his father and brothers three,
Now you've come back for more
Who are the heroes that fight your war
Mothers who have no say
But my duty's done so for god's sake leave one!
And don't take my darling boy away.

Tenting tonight, Tenting tonight
Tenting on the old campground
You took his father and brothers three,
Now you've come back for more
Tenting tonight, Tenting tonight
Tenting on the old campground
But my duty's done so for god's sake leave one!
And don't take my darling boy away.

A hero is now laid to rest, a hero and one of the best
He fought with each son, the battles he'd won,
And the battles that proved a test
Though she never went to the war,
She was a hero by far, they gave a gun
But who gave a son,
M. O. T. H. E. R.
Don't take my darling boy away from me,
Don't send him off to war
You took his father and brothers three,
Now you've come back for more
Who are the heroes that fight your war
Mothers who have no say
But my duty's done so for god's sake leave one!
And don't take my darling boy away.

Tenting tonight, Tenting tonight
Tenting on the old campground
You took his father and brothers three,
Now you've come back for more
Tenting tonight, Tenting tonight
Tenting on the old campground
But my duty's done so for god's sake leave one!
And don't take my darling boy away."

-----

4. Forgotten Soldier Boy
(1930 ; paroles et musique de Bert Layne)

"I'm just a pore ex soldier that's broken down and blue
I fought out in The Great World War for the old Red White and Blue
I left my parents and my girl I loved to France did go
And fought out on the battlefield through the hunger sleet and snow.

I saw my buddies dying and some shell shocked and torn
Although we never faltered at the battle of the Marne
Then we were told when we left home we'd be heroes of the land
Though we came back and found no one would lend a helping hand."

-----

Plus tard, au cours de la guerre du Vietnam, apparaitront d'autres titres permettant aux artistes de dénoncer cette guerre en en critiquant, en apparence, une autre : la Première Guerre mondiale. En musique, on ne peut que penser à l'album sous-estimé des Zombies, Odessey and Oracle, mais aussi à la chanson des Animals, Sky Pilot. Le cinéma lèguera des films tels que Johnny Got his Gun (sans oublier l'incontournable M.A.S.H. : on change de guerre, mais le but recherché est le même).

Amicalement,
Eric

P.S. Dans la famille Guthrie, je penche pour Arlo, son merveilleux Coming into Los Angeles et son hilarant Walking down the Line à Woodstock.

[Charraud Jerome]

Bonjour

Bonjour à tous,
Bonjour Renaud,
Bien, nous ne sommes plus que deux à suivre ce "fil" , faisons donc comme si de rien n'était...

Faites, faites, je reste en serre-file.

Amicalement
Jérôme

[Eric Mansuy]

Bonjour Jérôme,

Ah ben dans ce cas, continuons au moins à trois !

Amicalement,
Eric (dans l'attente d'autres chansons)

[KiGanshu]

Bonjour,

Je ne participe pas trop, car j'ai de sérieuses lacunes en protest songs anglophones, mais je n'en suis pas moins les discussions avec intérêt

Dominique

[Eric Mansuy]

Bonsoir Dominique,

Fantastique, nous sommes donc quatre sur le sujet !

Allez, de nouvelles trouvailles pour tout le monde :

1. I Don't Want to Go to War
(1914 ; paroles d'Edward Madden ; musique d'Henry Marshall)

"Goodness Mercy! Listen Percy, Hear the bugles call!
Find a place to crawl, From the cannon ball.
I'm so nervous, Lord preserve us! Must we volunteer?
I'll keep in the rear. I'll wave the flag and cheer,
"Hooray! Go 'way! Come back some other day!"

Refrain:
I don't want to go to war! I think bullets are a bore!
If I must fight, I'll scratch and bite,
And pull their hair with all my might.
I'll blow out the campfire's gleam. Like an eagle I'll just scream!
My father named me Howard, I'm so glad that I'm a coward.
I don't want to go to war!
Let them holler "How he flies!"
Instead of saying, "Here he lies"
I don't want to go to war!
I met Theodore Roosevelt.
H said, "You could not lick a smelt!"
So I don't want to go to war!
Shades of Pharoah! Think of aero- planing in the sky!
Dropping from on high, Bonbons in your eye!
Flags are pretty, what a pity They should be shot at.
Heavens, what was that? A bullet through my hat!
That's why, "Goodbye!" Shall be my battle cry"

2. Joan of Arc, They're Calling You
(1915 ; paroles et musique de Frank Sturgis)

"There's a tear in my eye for the soldier,
As he lies among the slain.
There's a throb in my heart for this old world,
That sighs for peace in vain.
There's a hope in my prayer that someone above
Will gaze down on earth through the blue,
And pitying all our sorrow and woe,
Will tell us what to do.

Refrain:
Joan of Arc, they're calling you,
From each trench, they're calling you.
Far through the haze comes the sweet Marseillaise.
Can't you hear it calling too?
They really say from your last breath,
That a dove flew to the skies.
And if that was the Dove of Peace, Joan of Arc,
Send it down and dry a mother's eyes.
There's a sigh in the trench for the hedgerows,
For the tender last embrace;
And the babe held up high to hide from him
A woman's anguished face.
Oh, it's so hard to breathe when I think of the hearth,
And old folks in silent despair;
While dreaming of him in pale firelight glow,
The boy they cannot spare."

3. Don't Take my Papa Away From Me
(1915 ; paroles et musique de Joe Hill)

"A little girl with her father stayed, in a cabin across the sea,
Her mother dear in the cold grave lay; with her father she'd always be --
But then one day the great war broke out and the father was told to go;
The little girl pleaded -- her father she needed.
She begged, cried and pleaded so:

Refrain:
Don't take my papa away from me, don't leave me there all alone.
He has cared for me so tenderly, ever since mother was gone.
Nobody ever like him can be, no one can so with me play.
Don't take my papa away from me; please don't take papa away.
Her tender pleadings were all in vain, and her father went to the war.
He'll never kiss her good night again, for he fell 'mid the cannon's roar.
Greater a soldier was never born, but his brave heart was pierced one day;
And as he was dying, he heard some one crying,
A girl's voice from far away..."

4. Christians at War
(1916 ; paroles de John Kendrick)

"Onward, Christian soldiers! Duty's way is plain;
Slay your Christian neighbors, or by them be slain,
Pulpiteers are spouting effervescent swill,
God above is calling you to rob and rape and kill,
All your acts are sanctified by the Lamb on high;
If you love the Holy Ghost, go murder, pray and die.
Onward, Christian soldiers! Rip and tear and smite!
Let the gentle Jesus bless your dynamite.
Splinter skulls with shrapnel, fertilize the sod;
Folks who do not speak your tongue deserve the curse of God.
Smash the doors of every home, pretty maidens seize;
Use your might and sacred right to treat them as you please.
Onward, Christian soldiers! Eat and drink your fill;
Rob with bloody fingers, Christ okays the bill,
Steal the farmers' savings, take their grain and meat;
Even though the children starve, the Savior's bums must eat,
Burn the peasants' cottages, orphans leave bereft;
In Jehovah's holy name, wreak ruin right and left.
Onward, Christian soldiers! Drench the land with gore;
Mercy is a weakness all the gods abhor.
Bayonet the babies, jab the mothers, too;
Hoist the cross of Calvary to hallow all you do.
File your bullets' noses flat, poison every well;
God decrees your enemies must all go plumb to hell.
Onward, Christian soldiers! Blight all that you meet;
Trample human freedom under pious feet.
Praise the Lord whose dollar sign dupes his favored race!
Make the foreign trash respect your bullion brand of grace.
Trust in mock salvation, serve as tyrant's tools;
History will say of you: 'That pack of G.. d.. fools.' "

Désolé, c'est cette dernière la plus difficile à comprendre. Et c'est bien dommage, car elle est à la fois celle dont l'air (Onward Christian Soldiers) est le plus connu, et les paroles les plus violentes. Si j'ai un peu de temps pour traduire ces jours prochains...

Bien cordialement,
Eric Mansuy

[Charraud Jerome]

Bonsoir
Un peu de son, histoire d'agrémenter:

1. Hanging On the Old Barbed Wire

[flash=425,344]

2. I Didn’t Raise my Boy to Be a Soldier

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/audio/6_1_3_c_MSTR.mov

3. Don’t Take My Darling Boy Away

http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/J%20 ... 20Away.mp3

4. Forgotten Soldier Boy

http://www.emusic.com/samples/m3u/song/ ... 881618.m3u (extrait)

Sources: http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Art ... 95801.html


Bon OK, on est loin de Bob Dylan.
Je retourne à la pêche sur le net.

Cordialement
Jérôme Charraud

[Eric Mansuy]

Bonjour à tous,
Bonjour Jérôme,

Ah, voilà un beau travail d'équipe comme je les aime ! Merci pour les liens !

Il faudra vraiment que je prenne du temps pour traduire Christians at War.

Ah, Bob Dylan... La tournée Rolling Thunder, exceptionnelle. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again...

Amicalement,
Eric