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.