Wars and ConflictsΒ permalink
Tipperary!
This discussion has been closed.
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Message 1.Β
Posted by Tas (U1753225) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
Tipperary, Tippery,
Its a long way to go,
It's a long way to Tiperary
It's a long way to go
It's a long way to Tiperary
To the sweetest girl I know
Good-bye Piccadilly
Farewell Leicester square
It's a long, long way to Tiperary
But my heart's right there.
WHy was this song so popular during World War I? Why did so many british soldiers pine for Tipperary, a county in Ireland. Can any one shed any light on this song?
Tas -
Message 2
Posted by Mike Alexander (U1706714) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
A quick google in fact reveals that it was brought to France by the Connaught Rangers, an Irish component of the British Forces. The song was written in 1912, and presumably became popular through the music halls.
I suspect a good deal of its success is due to the fact that it fits harmoniously with 'Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag' - the two can be sung simultaneously, since the basic chord sequence is the same.
I also found the following slightly ribald version, which seems well in keeping with old infantry traditions (remember that Mademoiselle from Armentiers?):
That's the wrong way to tickle Marie,
That's the wrong way to kiss!
Don't you know that over here, lad,
They like it best like this!
Hooray pour le Francais!
Farewell, Angleterre!
We didn't know the way to tickle Marie,
But we learned how, over there! -
Message 3
Posted by Tas (U1753225) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
Hi MIke,
That is really funny! And sung to the same tune as tipperary? Thanks!
Tas -
Message 4
Posted by Tim of Acleah (U1736633) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
Tas
I do not know if you saw 'Das Boot' about a German Uboat crew fighting against the British in 1941 but they also sang 'Tipperary'. It is a very good song.
There were other favourite WW1 songs such as Goodbye-ee, Keep the home fires burning and Pack up your troubles.
When we moved office last year I did a version of Tipperary starting 'It's a long way to the Kingsway'.
There is also a typical Irish joke in one of the versions when Paddy sends his mother a letter telling her to write and let him know if she does not receive it.
regards
Tim -
Message 5
Posted by Ozymandias (U1727865) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
Tas,
During the summer I posted the following query to the history board but got no answer:
<>
I think you could check a lot of this out on the web.
Best Wishes, Oz. -
Message 6
Posted by Tas (U1753225) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
HI Oz,
thanks for all the info on the Connaught Rangers. I did not know that they were stationed in Jallunder and about the mutiny. Do you know that New Delhi, the beautiful city Sir Edwin Lutyens, the British architect, built in India has its principal market Connaught Circus. I suspect the Circus is not named after the Connaught Rangers but after the Duke of COnnaught who I believe was a member of the Royal family in the 1920s. It used to be a very fashinable shopping arcade around a lovely park with flower beds and a memorial to King George VI called aptly 'George Memorial'. If you go there today you will see a dirty place with no statue of King George. The truth is that Indians have great difficulty in keeping any place clean.
Tas -
Message 7
Posted by Tas (U1753225) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
<QUOTE' USER='TimW' USERID='1736633'>Tas<BR /><BR />I do not know if you saw 'Das Boot' about a German Uboat crew fighting against the British in 1941 but they also sang 'Tipperary'. It is a very good song.<BR /><BR />There were other favourite WW1 songs such as Goodbye-ee, Keep the home fires burning and Pack up your troubles.<BR /><BR />When we moved office last year I did a version of Tipperary starting 'It's a long way to the Kingsway'.<BR /><BR />There is also a typical Irish joke in one of the versions when Paddy sends his mother a letter telling her to write and let him know if she does not receive it.<BR /><BR />regards<BR /><BR />Tim<BR /></QUOTE><BR /><BR />Hi Tim,<BR /><BR />I can just imagine the Germans singing 'Tipperay' in the German accent! some of the other songs such as "Keep the home fires burning" I have heard and are familiar to me. There are a lot of very singable war songs. Our dear friend John Hyatt on this board gave me the unpublished words to the Marching tune 'Colonel Boogie'. Something about "Hitler had just one ball, Goering had no balls at all". I miss John and his wit and wisdom a lot and he knew so much about both the Great Wars.<BR /><BR />One can just imagine in the North African Dessert a bunch of British soldiers on a starry night singing, "Keep the home fires burning" or "The White Cliffs of Dover" or "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, How you can fight!"<BR /><BR />All my best,<BR /><BR />Tas
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Message 8
Posted by Gilgamesh of Uruk (U211168) on Tuesday, 4th October 2005
The story of "The writing of Tipperary" is that Oldbury (West Bromwich) entertainer Jack Judge wrote the basic song in response to a bet that he couldn't write and sing a song in one day, he did, and "Tipperary" is the result. He normally shares the credits with a Mr Williams - and the song was originally "It's a long way to Connemara".
Two years is a long time in the hands of troops, and most were apparently singing a much bawdier camp version. The other song which popped up again was "The girl I left behind me" (same tune as Waxies Dargle, BTW), which had become "Oh we don't give a luck for old von Kluck and all his lucking army". Obviously, you need to change the first letter of "luck" - but I can't post any approximation to the "F" word.
If it's good enough for Radio 4 at 9:30 AM, surely amongst this community, an f followed by three asterisks aren't really going to shake the earth - but the goons don't agree.
This is almost certainly my last ever posting on here. Good bye - and good luck! When the Goons grow up (if ever) I may return - but I doubt it. -
Message 9
Posted by Tas (U1753225) on Wednesday, 5th October 2005
Hi Gil,
et tu Gil, then fall Caesar!
If you are also going to leave, there won't be too many old friends left on this board to converse with. I hope you will occassionally keep in touch; we will always miss your particular brand of wry wit!
Tas -
Message 10
Posted by Gilgamesh of Uruk (U211168) on Wednesday, 5th October 2005
Arise, Tas - I'm still around, and still FURIOUS with the %&*&!! <@:_)+ goons who "run" this MB.
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Message 11
Posted by Gilgamesh of Uruk (U211168) on Wednesday, 5th October 2005
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Message 12
Posted by Tas (U1753225) on Thursday, 6th October 2005
Hi Gil,
to paraphrase what Oscar Wilde said, " The news of my departure is slightly exxagerated!" I am so glad that you are still with us. The stream of old friends leaving was beginning to turn into a torrent.
Tas
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Message 13
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Thursday, 6th October 2005
Re: Message 7.
Dear Tas,
I know I have to answer first to Brigantes about Thornborough and to three others in replies in my Hadrian's Wall thread and to my Greek friend Nikolaos about the Macedonian language, but in these "troubled times" I want to send first a reply to my old friend Tas. (Last three days helping to install new central heating tubes in my house)
When we, my father and I, travelled by Greyhound through the Rocky Mountains from Calgary along Lake Louise and Hell's Gorge (or something like that? It is 25 years ago) to Vancouver, we were accompagned by to older ladies from Australia. They turned out to be two directors of an old mens/women home (right term? I couldn't find the translation, while, I didn't found the term we use for that in Dutch: "oudemannenhuis" in none of my three Dutch dictionaries. I don't know what they say in today's "accepted" Dutch. John Hes? Oops, your aren't there anymore...
And now I come to my point...(smile, nearly impossible to observe).
We were the whole trip with the two ladies. My father not knowing a word English, but always interested in some company, were at the end in the back of the bus singing and they all three had a good voice (to sing I mean). And what were they singing? South African songs and my father singing on the same "voice" but he in Dutch. And especially your Tiperary. The ladies: "It's-a- long-way-to-Ti-pe-ra-ry" and my father in the same voice: "En-de-Kei-zer-aan-zij-nen-IJ-zer" (En de Keizer aan zijnen Ijzer) (And the Kaiser (Wilhelm) at his Yser (the Yser in Flanders Fields, the river, where the Belgians resisted to the Germans in WWI)).
Dear Tas, I regret, that that many of the old friends want to leave, especially among all the others, my companion from the first hours: Gilgamesh of Uruk.
Warm regards,
Paul. -
Message 14
Posted by Gilgamesh of Uruk (U211168) on Thursday, 6th October 2005
Paul, Tas - it's a matter of regret to me too, and I shall miss your thoughts and wisdom, but I've reached the end of my tether, and "I don't want to leave you, but I feel I ought to go" to paraphrase the old song.
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Message 15
Posted by lolbeeble (U1662865) on Thursday, 6th October 2005
Gil, sorry to hear about that but won't you reconsider. To be honest I'm not sure if I can be bothered typing the legend of Gilgamesh when referring to the Mesopotamian Epic, it was far easier to just point to our Gil.
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Message 16
Posted by Tas (U1753225) on Friday, 7th October 2005
Dear Paul,
It was almost by accident that one day I found this history message board quite a long time ago. I found it to be delightful and made so many good friends and had so many wonderful discussions. One could really enjoy the conversations one had with so many well-informed people. I made friends with you, and our dear friend John Hyatt, Carol Anderson and Chuck Williams, among others; Andrew Spencer who taught me so much about British Medieval history, the young Greg with whom I discussed Hastings and King Harold, Lol Beeble about the Restoration of the Monarchy in Britain and the battle with the Dutch, and Minette with whom I talked about one of my favorite English authors, Jane Austen and every thing else, because she is so good about every thing. I particularly enjoyed your friendship, because my wife was always asking me how you were and what you were doing.
Among our humorous and witty friends were our dear friend Gilgamesh of Urik and John Hes. I was much relieved when Gil migrated with us diehards to the new board. I thought something was wrong when so many people were giving up, finding the new setup user unfriendly. I tried to figure out what were the problems and our host Lisa told me they would take care of it. Now this trickle of people leaving has started to become a deluge. I hope our dear Minette, Caro, Lol Beeble will stay. It is so difficult for me to make new friends. One of my nightmares is that everyone will leave and that only you and I, the two diehards will remain. This is becoming a bit like the 'Battle of Hastings' for King Harold. I hope I have persuaded Gilgamesh to stay. I would rather people would just look in from time to time rather than make their departure final. If I can, despite my stroke and typing impediment, continue to find such topics as the present string about the World War I song "Tipperary", to keep them amused than surely they should have no difficulty in looking in.
That is a delightful story of your Dad singing the Flemish version of βTipperaryβ with those ladies. I think the word you were looking for is "Old-Peoples' ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ" or here in America "Seniors' Community". Warm wishes,
Tas -
Message 17
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Friday, 7th October 2005
Re: Message 14.
Gil,
I hope you want to reconsider your decision as lolbeeble mentioned too?
Kind regards,
Paul. -
Message 18
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Friday, 7th October 2005
Re: Message 16.
Dear Tas,
thank you very much for your extraordinary kind reply and your tribute to all the "anciens" (the old-hands?) of the former boards.
Thank you also for the right translation of "oudemannenhuis" (old-peoples' home). It still exists in our Flemish dialect, but I think it is in modern Dutch changed in the more colloquial: "home".
And yes the voices from my dad in Dutch and those from the two ladies in English mixed happily together while they were singing the same song.
My dear Tas, as I mentioned to my German friend, Thomas, in his special thread he made for me on the History Hub: I'll stay.
Warm wishes to you and your wife and I wish you a good health,
Paul.
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