I cried my heart out when I listened to John's "The Green Fields of France". My father was in the German Army in WWII and died in a POW Camp in Romania. He was MIA for 7 years. I never forgot my mother's face when she finally received the letter notifying us of my father's passing. War brings nothing but sadness and misery, no matter where, when and how.

That last picture of his father moved me to tears...my father served in WW2 in Japan...He came home...at least in body, but his mind never really did...and I was robbed of the father he could have been...RIP to all the men who never came back...one way or the other...and thank you.

I consider this song to be almost a hymn. My Dad joined at 14 after lying about his age. Two uncles perished, one by gas. Still it happens again & again!

My Grandad and his eldest son fought in WW1, my Dad and my uncle ought in WWII. This song is a tribute to them.

My great grandfather was 'Young Willie McBride.'

This is just a lament for the youth lost to war. There are no politics in this song, just emotion. There were a lot of Willie McBrides that fought and died in the war, and McMillans, O'Briens, O'Reillys, Müllers, Schäfers, and Weißs. Be sad that war exists, not that one side or the other came out on top.

Perhaps the greatest of all antiwar songs, It has haunted me since I first heard it in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. Years later when Mary Travers sang it at an outdoor concert in Santa February, I just couldn't hold back the tears.

Thank you for sharing " Green Fields of France " I live in the North of France , where nearly every village has a War Graves Cemetery , the next village has the 1916 cemetery where young boys of 17 & 18 lie ! Many Canadian , British , Australian, English cemeteries all over this North part of France in the Somme . A very touching song !

I think this is one of the best recording that John McDermott haas ever mad. I never get tired of hearing it. Norman Bodarky

I have heard John McDermott sing this song live quite a few times over the last 14 years. It brings tears to my eyes every time. He sings from his heart. He also does And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. Eric Bogle, who also composed that song, counts it as his absolute favorite rendition of it as well. I was privileged to see them both at Hugh's Room in Toronto and Eric sat off to the side of the stage to watch and listen as John sang And The Band Played...it is a memory burned into my soul. Eric and most of the audience was in tears. A combo not to be beaten, John singing Bogle. Thanks for posting this Lawrence.

The last lines of the song were poetic as in a German hospital in 1918, a certain corporal was seething with resentment at Germany's national humiliation as he saw it. Thanks to the Treaty of Versailles the conditions were in place for him to start an even bloodier conflict. The first half of the 20th century was a tragic waste of so many young lives, may they all rest in peace.

Nov 11 is fast approaching, I love this song. One thing for sure History shows us that we never learn from History

Takes me back to summer of 2011 when I first heard the song while in rehab. It moved me.

So much never said, I will always miss my Dad...

One would pray that all world leaders would have taken the time and play this old song a couple of times before taken action.

John McDermott sang with the Irish tenors but he is originally from Scotland his family moved to Canada when he was very young.

I totally agree with the previous comment. I too was there at Hugh's Room to be entertained by these two.

Thank you Willie for what you did for our history.......who would ever figure that it would happen again! Imagine, it did and who knows where it goes from here.

This is one of my Dad's favourite songs. A month ago my family and I went to Wales passing by France; there, he made us visit all the cemeteries of a little village in order to look for William McBride's grave. We've been to something like 6-7 cemeteries before finding the right one.. When we found both the graves (there was a W. McBride too), I managed to get a bit closer to the true meaning of this song, for I saw the thousands who had died.. One of the deepest experiences of my whole life.

Almost the best version of this song. It gives me goosepumps while listening to it.

I sthink this is one of the best recordings John has ever made.

John does a great version of this sad but lovely song

McDermott's version of the song was the composer's favorite.

As always this song tears my heart with its beautiful barbs.I often wonder if the almost ornamental use of the Red Poppies in Memorials lately,as they flood down castles or fly from Aircraft, is beginning to lose its ability to remind us of the sheer carnage of that awful place and time,of rows of young Men being compelled to walk into Machine Gun Fire,Shrapnel and Gas,loosing there lives or watching friends and total strangers ripped to shreds in that foul terrain.I doubt there was a Man fell there who's thoughts were of Glory when he died.Yes their Sacrifice should never be forgotten,but nor should we ever forget the obscenity,futility and waste that is War!

Thanks for the words and for singing this song.

I don't know where the actual video footage itself came from. The song was recorded for John McDermott's cd, Danny Boy.

And still it goes on and on and on ------------------------------------------------------and on and on.

I love this, perfect.

And it is so beautfully sung by John; yes it is a song about the pointless loss of life in wars. I know houses where there are photos on their walls of young men, young soldiers in uniform with acknowledgement of their ultimate sacrifice; stamp-signed by Presidend Roosevelt. Also know gravestones of young men who died in wars, some aged only 18, more just in their 20s. Why did they die? We should never let it happen again.

He makes one change in the Bogle song that bothered me a little, but his version is still lovely. Bogle's initial lyric is "... or was it slow and obscene," and McDermott changes the last word from obscene to unseen. I am very happy to have tickets for a concert in February 2015 to see McDermott when he comes to Georgia.

Thank you!

Tragic...he is right,we have learned nothing. The wars continue.

Thanks for this one, it new to me so it sounds wonderful.

I love the Dropkick Murphys and their version of this song; I love Ronan Tynan singing this song; but none compare to John McDermott singing it.

what a lovely anti-war song. To all those that suffer from war.

Yes that is true in all wars , men die for the men next to them but in this case none of them needed be there . Could of all been stopped with the Christmas truce but leaders have their traditions etc.

I agree.

it's agreat tune for a few late/early in the night/morning whatever your choice is

FYI, it wasn't written by McDermott; it's Eric Bogle's composition. According to the wiki article this is Eric Bogle's favorite recording of the song though.

What makes it so sad is that the war was about nothing . At least in others wars people can say he died for this or that but not this one .

@rbluejayway Irish tenor? Scots born Canadian methinks. Bloody brilliant anyway.

"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" That sounds pretty anti war to me.

@stefansmom and may God Bless you too

They died for the men next to them

I preferred the version by The Men They Couldn't Hang.

You may want to give Celtic Thunder's cover.

The war to end war? Yeah, right!

@chef4n I think the only war that needed fighting was the 2nd., which wouldn't have come about but for the1st. Trouble is that there are always aggressors. I understand the song 'the universal soldier' more as I age.

@chef4n Greed or some perceived slight. Just think of what we could accomplish together as people.

Okay?

True. It's been all sadism ever since.

how about saving innocent lives, like in WWII or freeing the oppressed in the cold war? sometimes war is the only thing left to do. protest did not bring down hitler, bombs did.

Ahh, young Willie McBride, you were the finest Ireland produced, but, ye fought for the wrong country and the wrong cause!

I am not saying that war is a good thing But........

I am sorry but there is nothing about this song that says any thing about ani war just sipply put honor for a young 19 yearold boy and the many more like him if you say anti war that mean that young Williy should not have been there which means he deserves no honer Yet when my grandparents fought hitler to save the jews from the gas cambers they where not to be there ither So they deserve no honor because they fought a war???