Butterworth - The lads in their hundreds (Roderick Williams)

George Butterworth - 6 Songs from A Shropshire Lad: No. 5. The lads in their hundreds

Roderick Williams, baritone
Iain Burnside, piano


A. E. Housman (1859--1936)

A Shropshire Lad. 1896.
XXIII. The lads in their hundreds

THE LADS in their hundreds to Ludlow come in for the fair,
There's men from the barn and the forge and the mill and the fold,
The lads for the girls and the lads for the liquor are there,
And there with the rest are the lads that will never be old.

There's chaps from the town and the field and the till and the cart,
And many to count are the stalwart, and many the brave,
And many the handsome of face and the handsome of heart,
And few that will carry their looks or their truth to the grave.

I wish one could know them, I wish there were tokens to tell
The fortunate fellows that now you can never discern;
And then one could talk with them friendly and wish them farewell
And watch them depart on the way that they will not return.

But now you may stare as you like and there's nothing to scan;
And brushing your elbow unguessed-at and not to be told
They carry back bright to the coiner the mintage of man,
The lads that will die in their glory and never be old.


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Category:

Music

Tags:

• george
• butterworth
• roderick
• williams
• baritone
• iain
• burnside
• piano
• shropshire
• lad
• the
• lads
• in
• their
• hundreds

[algernon4444]

The lads in their hundreds: their names are on every war memorial in the UK.

[somnitel]

Magnificent.

[windstorm1000]

Many of those 'lads' never came back from WWI--including the composer--lending the song a special irony. That war was such a tragic waste-nearly destroying an entire generation--nothing tangible came from it as far as lasting piece. In fact it set the seeds for an even more destructive war 20 years later.

[MrJamalKRahman]

Roderick Williams is the greatest baritone in Britain today

[floggedful]

:'(

[rippingstyle]

This may be the saddest song of all time. It is remarkably haunting. Such a shame that Butterworth was one of "the lads in their hundreds" killed during the great war.

[miremystic]

very good version of these great songs by Butterworth. And Roderick Williams is awesome... had heard them before by tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Mr Williams is just as good, which is saying a lot, considering Johnson's amazing way of singing!!

[Matelad]

THANK YOU! for posting this. It's really hard to get these records nowadays... good thing that some people have the good habit of sharing it in here. Cheers !