Green Fields of France by John McDermott

Green Fields of France is a song by John McDermott. The video is set to world war one related pictures.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• ww1
• world
• war
• one

[Biniou7]

"Or are you a stranger without even a name, enclosed then forever, behind a glass frame; in an old photograph, torn, battered, and stained, and faded to yellow in a brown leather frame?"

This line gets me more than any other- how many people today have old pictures of ancestors whose names they barely remember, and of whose sacrifices and suffering they know little to nothing? Santayana's words about those who don't remember the past come to mind.

[Zentra2]

It seems, the song was written by Eric Bogle and not by John McDermott.

[wilde4445]

@Biniou7 

[Manxypop]

@novanationk This is excellent, but the one by the Fureys really touched me - it seems more raw and sorrowful, but that is may be just me.

[Coseepo]

Best version

[Kauwhaka]

The verse at 2:50 he sings "And look how the sun shines from under the clouds, there's no..." The original sings "The trenches have vanished long under the plow, there's no gas, no barbed wire, there's no guns firing now." I like the original better, because I think of the millions who lived, fought and died in the trenches. The thought of those same trenches plowed under and returned to farmland somehow highlights the futility of the battles and the needless human carnage.

[PaulaPotch16]

I was in Flanders this year and this song and your video is so poignant

[happyogre1]

think it might be just starting sorry m* :(

[greatgulffixed]

This has got to be the saddest song of all time.

[IamSkipp]

/Salute

Let there never be a WWIII

[liam1997gbr]

i like the dropkick murphys version but this is nice

[rdvqc]

I beg to differ - nobody sings this like Eric. The actual title is "No Man's Land" and he has done a sequel some 30 years after the original.

If you like this song go search for more Eric Bogle on youtube - there are some fine ones including some quite recent ones.

John does do a fine version of this song (and a number of other Bogle songs) and they have done some touring together including Eric's last trip to Canada.

You may also try Liam Clancy's cover.