Google " We'll meet again ! Don't know where ... Don't know when ..."

My Great Grandfather was in WW1 and his son (my Great Uncle) was a POW in WW2. Both made it home to New Zealand

My grandfather and my two uncles went,, my grandfather returned but his brothers died , lest we forget ,

I'll post the lyrics below. This is a completely anti-war song, and its central point is that the vast majority of wars are pointless sacrifices of young people without any good reason. With a few exceptions like WW2, the wars are often not the ultimate sacrifice, but are rather wasted, pointless sacrifices. They often are not to protect our freedom, but rather the wars are often started out of pride (aka nationalism), excessive militarism, vengeance, greed or other sinful, unethical motivations. Here are 2 of the verses of the song: the sun shining down on these green fields of france the warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance the trenches have vanished long under the plow no gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing down but here in this graveyard that's still no mans land the countless white crosses in mute witness stand till' man's blind indifference to his fellow man and a whole generation were butchered and damned chorus and i can't help but wonder oh willy mcbride do all those who lie here know why they died did you really believe them when they told you the cause did you really believe that this war would end wars well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame the killing and dying it was all done in vain oh willy mcbride it all happened again and again, and again, and again, and again This song is about a soldier in WW1, and talks about how pointless and needless that war was, and then the song notes that many other pointless, needless wars have happened since then. He uses the word again 5 times. Since WW1, that would include Vietnam, the Gulf War and the Iraq war. The song also conveys how young soldiers are often misled into thinking they're fighting for a good and wise cause, even though they're not. If more people would admit the truth of these things, it would make It far, far harder for future politicians to gain public support for their usually misguided wars. When parents think their children made a noble sacrifice for a good cause in dying in a needless war, they're more likely to feel that the next wars are fine. By admitting that their children died pointlessly, they're much more likely to oppose future wars unless they're really needed and for a good cause ... and thereby the parents would be saving lives of other young people, and doing a good service to the world. Yes, it's hard to admit that a child died for no good reason, but for those parents who are Christians, this is why Jesus said: "Take up your cross, and follow me." Taking up your cross is facing the hard things and the hard truths, and working to make things better. It's also why he said the truth shall set you free. For parents who aren't Christian, but are part of other faiths, most faiths also recommend facing the hard things, dealing with them and improving the world. Even for people of no faith, it's common sense to say that the truth matters, and that we have to face our problems head on and deal with them. Here are the motivations for WW1 and none of them is good on either side: "Scholars looking at the long term seek to explain why two rival sets of powers (the German Empire and Austria-Hungary against the Russian Empire, France, the British Empire and later the United States) came into conflict by 1915. They look at such factors as political, territorial and economic competition; militarism, a complex web of alliances and alignments; imperialism, the growth of nationalism; and the power vacuum created by the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Other important long-term or structural factors that are often studied include unresolved territorial disputes, the perceived breakdown of the European balance of power,[1][2] convoluted and fragmented governance, the arms races of the previous decades, and military planning."

@@DailySource Well said! The presentation here, and the comment you're replying to, absolutely violate the intention, and the life's work, of Eric Bogle who wrote the song. He also wrote 'And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda', BTW. One small error. The USA entered that war formally late in 1917, but effectively not until 1918

Wonderful anti-war song massacred by ....?

My Nana ,lost her brother ,also name Tom (uncle Tommy ) Strange to think it was over a hundred years ago now. I could never put my finger on it ,until I got older ,she hid her sadness , that was her way ,She was always recepticle if we asked ,she didnt fib ,she didnt hide it . But she didnt forward it either, When his son turned up at her door , years and years later (Uncle Tommys wife had moved back to her family in England ,we are Scots) I was blessed enough to have been in the house with her . In a way, I think it broke her ,but the sheer joy in her face that day ,is always how i think of her. Keep calling Nana xx

My Uncle was a WWII veteran. And also fought at Anzio.

You talking about the Anzio bridge head

Pink floyd when the tigers broke free is about Anzio had family there that never came home

🫡🫡🫡🫡

CT is also my favorite version.

The Furey's version does it for me. x

God Bless Mate.

Don’t for get the Irish so many men died in ww1 we were apart of the uk then.

Belle?

I must have missed it what lyric did they change?

I think the words are unaltered but it has lost the raw emotion of the original. This leaves me cold - I cand help but shed a tear or two when ever I hear it sung with feeling.

@@martinwilliams5154 this is a sang written by a scotsman eric bogle after he visited a 1st ww cemetery in belgium i think. he said he wrote out of respect to all the soldiers.(not one individual). originally called ..no mans land.... when the irish band the furies got hold of it they changed the title to the green fields of france and some of the chorus. i prefer erics original chorus. you won,t find any soldiers getting buried to the tune the death march.

Listen to the “Green Fields of France” by the Fureys for a better version of this song.

Agreed. And a whole verse was omitted.

🇮🇪🇪🇺👍 from Dublin

It must be even harder for those who have lost loved ones to admit it was all for nothing. There are many wonderful intelligent people on this planet. Sadly NOT ONE in a position of power. Until there is a mass movement for change the elite will always rule and just see us as pawns in their games

🇮🇪🇪🇺👍 cheers from Dublin

that would be so nice and beautiful, but regretfully it remains wishful thinking. the greedy remain in power. mankind will in the end destroy this planet

to let young msn be killed we know better the old lie dulce et decourn est

That is a load of bull shit. Singer-songwriter Eric Bogle said he wrote The Green Fields of France as a response to the anti-Irish sentiment in Britain during the IRA bombing campaign of the 1970s. Bogle revealed he chose the name “Willie McBride” for the 19-year-old who features in the song because of its “Irish connotations”

That's not true

John Gordon At the end of the day he was a British solider, lest we forget.🇬🇧

ulster infidel not about any one individual soldier. it,s written by a scotsman eric bogle. i knew this sang when it first came out as no mans land. eric has never ever said it was about one soldier.

🇮🇪🇪🇺👍 thanks from Dublin

edeledel edel......this a scottish sang written and first recorded by eric bogle. it's original title is no mans land.when the furies got hold of it they changed the title and some o the words. look up the original by eric bogle. irish bands cover most o his sangs.

@@brucecollins641 I know. That's why I don't like the Irishfied chords, because I am very familiar with the original tune and chords used in recordings by Eric Bogle and June Tabor among others. Why change something when it's that good. I first became aware of the song when I bought the June Tabor's LP "Ashes and Diamonds" soon after it came out in 1977, the year after Eric Bogle wrote the song. She also included "Now I'm Easy" on the LP, also written by Eric Bogle. I only have 4 of Eric Bogle's many CD's.

@@edeledeledel5490 aye, irish music only started in the late 50s. due to their limited repertoire adopted many scottish and english sangs at the time. i.e wild rover/tell me ma/ raggle taggle gypsy/maries wedding/black velvet band/baryards o delgaty/dirty old town/seven drunken nights/parting glass and many more. there are 100s of scottish fiddle reels in ireland. the eric bogles original is the one for me. a like the german version also.