WW1 hymn parodies

[ThrelfallYorky]

I suppose it was easier to parody the familiar hymns hear every sunday, than recall more varied music-hall tunes? It always surprises me quite how many hymns can be sung to the same tunes - metre, etc. I suppose it saved tha Parish Church organist a lot of learning of new tunes....

[Lydart]

Not quite on this theme, but its possible to sing 'While Shepherds watched their flocks ....' to the 'Ilkley Moor Baht Hat' tune, and vice versa.   (You have to adjust the words just a little ...)

[jaybelnz]

Here's a few more for you!

https://youtu.be/0wfIhl5mn5s

When this Lousy War is Over - parody of What A Friend We Have In Jesus


And from
http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-people/brothers-arms/372-songs-war.html#sthash.zJfNtOoc.dpbs

Joe Soap’s Army
Tune:- Onward Christian Soldiers
Forward Joe Soap’s army
Marching with out fear
With our brave commander
Safely in the rear.
He boasts and skites from morn till night And thinks he’s very brave but the men Who really did the job
Are dead and in their grave
Forward Joe Soap’s army
Marching without fear
And our brave commander
Safely in the rear. - See more at: http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-people/brothers-arms/372-songs-war.html#sthash.zJfNtOoc.dpuf

49:- Song of the Lavender Street Girls.
(What a Friend we have in Jesus)
Me no likee Blitish airman
Yankee pay five dollars more
Yankee call me Honey Baby
Blitish say me f*****g whore
You not kind English soldiers
Yankee sailors come ashore
Yankee sailors plenty money
We no shag for you no more.
50:- Raining
(Hymn Tune “Holy, Holy, Holy”
Raining, raining, raining,
Always bloody well raining
Raining all the morning
Raining all the night
Grousing, grousing, grousing,
Always bloody well grousing
Grousing at the rations
Grousing at the pay.
Marching, marching marching,
Always bloody well marching
Marching in the morning
Marching in the night.
Marching marching marching,
Always bloody well marching
When this war is over
We’ll bloody well march no more.
- See more at: http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-people/brothers-arms/372-songs-war.html#sthash.zJfNtOoc.dpuf

57:- We are but private soldiers weak
Tune:- We are but little children weak.
(Methodist Hymn)
We are but private soldiers weak
Our pay is only seven bob a week
What e’er we do by night or day
It makes no difference to our pay.
Our hours a day are twenty four
And thank the Lord there are no more
For if there were we know that we
Would work another two or three.
There is one thing we do believe
That we’re entitled to some leave.
We don’t know why we’re so cursed
We’ll get our old age pension first.
- See more at: http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-people/brothers-arms/372-songs-war.html#sthash.zJfNtOoc.dpuf


Added - Oops - see you already have some of those already!

[philipsearching]

jaybelnz - many thanks for your response.

To clarify for other Rootschatters:  I am looking for British, ANZAC and Canadian army hymn parodies (not navy, RFC or US forces).  I have the parodies from "Oh What A Lovely War" (stage and screen) and the collection "Tommy's Tunes".  The Western Front Association, noglory.org and mudcat only have the hymn tunes listed below.  I am not worried about collecting every variation of a parody, more in finding out what original hymns were parodied (or tunes pinched for new songs).

So far, I have 8 hymns:
Battle Hymn Of The Republic (They Were Only Playing Leapfrog)
Blessed be the fountain of Blood (Whiter than the whitewash on the wall)
Holy, Holy, Holy (Grousing, Grousing, Grousing)
Onward Christian Soldiers (Forward Joe Soap's Army)
The Church's One Foundation (We Are Fred Karno's Army)
There Is A Happy Land (Where Are Our Uniforms)
We Are But Little Children Weak (We Are But Private Soldiers Weak)
What A Friend We Have In Jesus (When This Lousy War Is Over)

Sadly, I missed an opportunity to find out more!  In the 1970s and 1980s in the Old People's Homes where I worked (and in the Star and Garter where I volunteered) there were several surviving Tommies - I recall one of them after a singalong (Tipperary, Long Long Trail etc) saying: "If only that f***ing a***hole knew what we really sang!" How I wish I'd taken my cassette recorder and encouraged him to sing.

Philip

[groom]

Just being nosey Philip - can I ask why you want these? Is it just out of interest or are you trying to plan something?

There's no carol tunes in that list are there, I would have though some of those would be parodied?

[philipsearching]

Just being nosey Philip - can I ask why you want these? Is it just out of interest or are you trying to plan something?

There's no carol tunes in that list are there, I would have though some of those would be parodied?

I have a friend who is the conductor of a small amateur choir, and a cousin who is a folk singer.  My vision is to get the hymns (full versions, all verses) recorded by the choir and the parodies recorded by folk singers in time for the armistice centenary next year.  Any profits from sales would go to the British Legion and SSAFA.

There are hymns on youtube, but I can't use these recordings as there may be performance rights and fees which would be complicated.  Music Hall and show tunes are easier as the copyright on songs and recordings 1900-1918 has long since expired.


Oddly, there are countless carol parodies invented by schoolchildren, but I can't find any WW1 soldier parodies of carols (Christmas Day In The Cookhouse was based on a poem). 

Philip

[groom]

Looking at this, it seems as if there may be a parody for "There is a Green Hill Far Away"  http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=33907


Added - could be American though

[philipsearching]

Looking at this, it seems as if there may be a parody for "There is a Green Hill Far Away"  http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=33907

Added - could be American though

I had seen parodies by US and English troops from WW2, but can't find one from 1914-18.

Philip

[groom]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There%27s_a_Green_Hill_Out_in_Flanders_(There%27s_a_Green_Hill_Up_in_Maine)

Does look American though