TUNEFUL TOMMY

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14584, 5 February 1921, Page 15 (Supplement)

TUNEFUL TOMMY

THE PARODIES OF SOLDIERS, i(By R. R. MaoQregor, Ph.D., P.R.A.1.) When our boys were in temporary lodging at the Invitation of "lusty Mars," in an uncertain abode called euphemistically "the front," many of them cajoled away the long weary, hours with impromptu song and story. In many Instances, hitherto unknown talents for verse-making were brought to light; some of our lads became veritable 20th century "gongleurs"; anddormant capabilities for self-expression were aroused fronj their slumbers. Many diaries and many vagrant verses have since been published, or, If not published, have been sent home in the form of letters. I have personally seen quite good verse from men who have, In common life, been far removed from any literary pretensions, and who, if they were told they would write verse or keep such a thing.as a diary, would have scoffed at the mere idea. Yet such has been true. All could not reach the perfection of a Rupert Brookes, or a Graves, or a Gellert, but, many have been moved to give their thoughts finite expression in written record, and bad, good, or indifferent, these records are'a sign of the times —an indication of a latent literary sensibility—a faculty for self-expression which when brought to bedrock is merely an attribuce of life itself—the will to such expression. it is an outstanding ethnological fact tint communities and associations of people tend to give expression to their thoughts in song. Hence the ballad. The folk-songs are usually an indication of the geographical distribution, the aims and outlook on life, and the racial affinities of the people concerned. During five years of warfare, when the sons of the Empire were carried to the four corners of the globe lo accomplish a mother's bidding, what then Is more natural (indeed it would be unnatural were it not so) than that a corpus of soldier-songs should come Into being, descriptive of the phases of, their daily existence? There has been published in Britain "a comprehensive collection of soldiers' songs, marching melodies, rude rhymes and popular parodies, composed, collected and arranged on active service." It is by an R.F.C. lieutenant. In It are given not merely the eongs that have come during the war from no one knows where, and the burlesques of music hall and hymnbook, but also a number of traditional gongs and some compositions largely the work of clever individuals. Of course, there are old songs which will always be popular as long as the English language shall last, such as "The Green Grass grew all Round," "Annie Laurie," and "I will sing you One-O!" The author makes no claim for these. Whatever music hall ballads come and go, these will persist, and you are liable to hear parties of youths singing them anywhere in the country. . But from the point of view of this article, the greatest interest must be in the queer unique songs—inspired by whimsicality or irony, or grumbling—which have come into being in the army during the war, and many of which, after the fashion of true folk-songs, exist in numerous versions. I remember the first time I heard one of these — "I Want to go Home." It was given me by an artillery officer (he is since dead) who said his men used to sing It very quietly to show their fed-upness whilst grooming their horses. The difference between various versions usually lies in the third line. I was told "Where there are shells and Jack Johnsons galore," but I think "For oh, the Jack Johnsons, they ma'ke such a roar," is likelier to be general. The verse is as follows: — I want to go home, - -• I want to go home. For ohl the Jack Johnsons they make such a roar, % I don't want to go to the trenches do more. I want to go over the sea, Where the Alleymans can't snipe at me, Oh, my, I don't want to die, I want to go hornet Another song, derived from "Massa'3 In the Gold Ground," also a type of fedupness, is:— When this ruddy war is over, Oh, how happy I shall be; etc. Of course, one need not take exception to the third word, because, if omitted, such iridescent words as "cerise," or "heliotrope," or anything, would convey the required meaning. War is Just anathema—-it is the soldier's way. Another unmitigated song on grousing is the following to the tune "Holy, Holy, Holy": Marching, marching, marchings Always ruddy well marching, Marching all the morning, And marching all the night. Marching, marching, marching. Always ruddy well marching. Roll on till my time is up, And I shall march no more. Of the parodies, and adaptations of '"The Tarpaulin Jacket," the cleverest Is that In which a dying airman requests his mechanics to reassemble the engine, the parts of which are embedded In various sections of his body. A less literary effort of the same is:— Oh, had I the wings of an Avro Chorus: "Of an Avro." Then, far, far away I would soar "Would soar," Right off to my pals down in Blighty, "In Blighty." And rest there the rest of the war. "The war." Exigencies of space forbid quoting these songs ad libitum, but one may mention the little repetitive marching scraps, such as Hoo-Ha 'There's the man with the oig red nose, Hoo-Ha, Hoo-Ha, Ha!), and "Left, Left," which is about the most epigrammatic of the lot,. There were also many songs which were peculiar to individual regiments. Here is one from the Fusiliers to the tune "Hold your hand out, Naughty Boy": Hold your head down, Fusilier Hold your head down. Fusilier. There's a ruddy great Hun, With a blurry great gun, Who'll shoot you. Who'll shoot you, There's a sniper up a tree. Waiting for you and me. If you want to get back to your any more, Hold your head d«w#, Fusilier. This, when sung in the, London vernacular, is certainly most reminiscent of the Flanders tradition. It might be mentioned in passing also, that "Tipperary" was never "Tommy's song." It merely happened that a Daily Mail correspondent heard a few troops of the B.E.F. Kinging it at Boulogne. It therefore became to lie popularly associated with the army, wherever it was —,-ather a fortunate accident for the composers, and probably more fortunate for the publishers. It was a chance I hat the' too zealous newspaper man did not lieur other troops singing something else. There are other songs peculiar to the N.Z.h.t.I should like to hear of them from someone more qua Idled to speak of them than I am. Public opinion would welcome a cctopilation of such.