The Green Fields Of France Lyrics And Chords

Written By Eric Bogle, Probably the finest anti war song ever written and covered beautifully by ''The Fureys''.Eric has written tons of great songs, more of Eric Bogle Songs this song was also recorded by Ronnie Drew and The Dubliners and more recent by Celtic Thunder, The Dropkick Murphy's, John McDermott, Liam Clancy and the famous Irish tenor singer Ronan Tynan. While I was compiling the top 100 Irish folk songs of all time this one came in at No. 14 , yes I know it's not Irish but it was recorded by The Fureys and is their biggest hit song to date. Recently recorded by the Irish ballad group The High Kings in 2016.

Well[C] how do you do young[F] Willy Mc[Dm] Bride
Do you[G] mind if I sit here down[C] by your grave[G]side
And[C] rest for a while in the[F] warm summer[Dm] sun
I've been[G] walking all day and[F] I'm nearly[C] done
 
I[C] see by your gravestone your were[F] only nine[Dm]teen
When you[G] joined the great falling in[C] nineteen fif[G]teen
Well I[C] hope you died well and I[F] hope you died[Dm] clean
Or young[G] Willy Mc Bride was it[F] slow and ob[C]scene
[Chorus]
Did[G] they beat the drum slowly ,did they[F] sound the fifes[C] lowly
Did they[G] sound the death march as they[F] lowered you[C] down
Did the[F] band play the last post and[G] chorus
Did the[F] pipes play the[Dm] flowers of the[G] fo[C]rest.
[2]
Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some faithfull heart is your memory enshrined
And though you died back in nineteen fifteen
In some faith full heart are you forever nineteen
 
Or are you a stranger without even a name
Enshrined forever behind a glass frame
In an old photograph torn battered and stained
And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame.
[Repeat Chorus]
[3]
Well the sun now it shines on the green fields of France
There's a warm summer breeze it makes the red poppies dance
And look how the sun shines from under the cloudes
There's no gas no barbed wire , there's no gun firing now.
 
But here in this graveyard it's still no mans land
The countless white crosses stand mute in the sand
To man's blind indefference to his fellow man
To a whole generation that were butchered and dammed
[Repeat Chorus]
Well Will Mc Bride I cant help wonder why
Do those that lie here know why did they die
And did they believe when they answered the call
Did they really believe that this war would end war
 
Well the sorrow the suffering the glory the pain
The killing the dying was all done in vain
For young Willy Mc Bride it all happened again
And again,and again,and again,and again

If you want to play along with the youtube video of The Furey Brothers And Davie Arthur then use these chords.

Well[F] how do you [Dm]do young[Bb] Willy Mc[C] Bride.
Do you mind if I sit here down[Bb] by your grave[F]side.
And rest for a [Dm]while in the[Bb] warm summer[C] sun.
I've been walking all day and[Bb] I'm nearly[F] done.
 
I[F] see by your [Dm]gravestone your were[Gm] only nine teen.
When you[C] joined the great falling in[Bb] nineteen fif[C]teen.
Well I[F] hope you died [Dm]well and I[Bb] hope you died[Gm] clean
Or young[c] Willy Mc Bride was it[Bb] slow and ob[F]scene.
[Chorus]
Did they [C]beat the drum slowly ,did they[Bb] play the fifes[F] lowly
Did they[C] sound the death march as they[Bb] lowered you[C] down.
Did the band [Bb]play the last post and[F] chorus[Dm]
Did the[F] pipes play the[C] flowers of the fo[F]rest.

The following verse was written by Tom Green.
Tom says , The idea came from a picture I painted called Afganistan a reversal of  the popular poppy field pictures. I made the field red covered with green opium poppies.
 
 
Well hear we are now in 2 thousand 11
and Willie McBride looking down from heaven
would he think it ironic theres no change in man
when he see's what is happening in Afganistan
is there any real difference from 1915
a young soldiers death is just as obscene
the only real difference from 1915
the fields are blood red and the poppies are green

WILLIE MCBRIDE'S REPLY

Lyrics: Stephen L. Suffet, This is the reply that Willie McBride gives to Eric Bogle. The song is set to the same tune as The Green Fields Of France , and what a great tribute it is to Eric's song . I wonder has this reply to a song been done this way before ?


My dear friend Eric, this is Willie McBride,
Today I speak to you across the divide,
Of years and of distance of life and of death,
Please let me speak freely with my silent breath.

You might think me crazy, you might think me daft,
I could have stayed back in Erin, where there wasn't a draft,
But my parents they raised me to tell right from wrong,
So today I shall answer what you asked in your song.

Yes, they beat the drum slowly, they played the pipes lowly,
And the rifles fired o'er me as they lowered me down,
The band played "The Last Post" in chorus,
And the pipes played "The Flowers of the Forest."

Ask the people of Belgium or Alsace-Lorraine,
If my life was wasted, if I died in vain.
I think they will tell you when all's said and done,
They welcomed this boy with his tin hat and gun.

And call it ironic that I was cut down,
While in Dublin my kinfolk were fighting the Crown.
But in Dublin or Flanders the cause was the same:
To resist the oppressor, whatever his name.

Yes, they beat the drum slowly...,,,.

It wasn't for King or for England I died,
It wasn't for glory or the Empire's pride.
The reason I went was both simple and clear:
To stand up for freedom did I volunteer.

It's easy for you to look back and sigh,
And pity the youth of those days long gone by,
For us who were there, we knew why we died,
And I'd do it again, says Willie McBride.

​Chords in the key of D
Well[D] how do you do young[G] Willy Mc[Em] Bride
Do you[A] mind if I sit here down[D] by your grave[A]side
And[D] rest for a while in the[G] warm summer[Em] sun
I've been[A] walking all day and[G] I'm nearly[D] done
 
I[D] see by your gravestone your were[G] only nine[Em]teen
When you[A] joined the great falling in[D] nineteen fif[A]teen
Well I[D] hope you died well and I[G] hope you died[Em] clean
Or young[A] Willy Mc Bride was it[G] slow and ob[D]scene
[Dhorus]
Did[A] they beat the drum slowly ,did they[G] sound the fifes[D] lowly
Did they[A] sound the death march as they[G] lowered you[D] down
Did the[G] band play the last post and[A] chorus
Did the[G] pipes play the[Em] flowers of the[A] fo[D]rest.

And here's the guitar chords for the key of G
Well[G] how do you do young[C] Willy Mc[Am] Bride
Do you[D] mind if I sit here down[G] by your grave[D]side
And[G] rest for a while in the[C] warm summer[Am] sun
I've been[D] walking all day and[C] I'm nearly[G] done
 
I[G] see by your gravestone your were[C] only nine[Am]teen
When you[D] joined the great falling in[G] nineteen fif[D]teen
Well I[G] hope you died well and I[C] hope you died[Am] clean
Or young[D] Willy Mc Bride was it[C] slow and ob[G]scene
[Ghorus]
Did[D] they beat the drum slowly ,did they[C] sound the fifes[G] lowly
Did they[D] sound the death march as they[C] lowered you[G] down
Did the[C] band play the last post and[D] chorus
Did the[C] pipes play the[Am] flowers of the[D] fo[G]rest.