John Clark and his Great American Music Experience presents The Music of World War One Tuesday, May 5 th at 10:00 am By Way of Zoom Technology

George M. Cohan Al Jolson Nora Bayes Irving Berlin

The Music of World War One highlights some of the most popular music of the war years (1914-1918) with audio and video clips. Prior to American involvement, British war songs were popular in this country like It’s a Long, Long Way from Tipperary and Keep the Home Fires Burning. Then, as events began to draw us into this “war to end all wars”, opposing viewpoints were expressed in popular songs, like the pacifistic I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier and the militaristic Wake Up, America! And the biggest wartime favorite of all, George M. Cohan’s Over There . Of course there were romantic and sentimental songs that spoke for soldiers, spouses and families separated by the war, like Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight and ‘Til We Meet Again. And don’t forget the humorous songs like the tongue-twisting Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts for Soldiers and Irving Berlin’s Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning . There were even songs about how American life had changed after the war, like How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm and I’ve Got my Captain Working for Me Now . Featured artists include Al Jolson, Nora Bayes, Billy Murray, Henry Burr and the Peerless Quartet. Introduction to the Music of World War One In 1914, in Britain music hall was by far the most popular form of popular song. The music hall songs which mentioned the war (about a third of the total produced) were more and more dreams about the end of the war— When the Boys Come Home and Keep the Home Fires Burning are two well-known examples. Popular, patriotic songs that were composed during the war also served to raise the morale of soldiers and civilians alike. These hit songs covered a variety of themes, such as separation of loved ones, boot camp, war as an adventure, and humorous songs about the military life. [1] Because there were no radios or televisions that reported the conditions of the battlefields, Americans had a romantic view of war. Not only were many of the songs patriotic, but they were also romantic. These songs portrayed soldiers as brave and noble, while the women were portrayed as fragile and loyal as they waited for their loved ones. It was almost impossible to sing anti-war songs on the music-hall stage. The managers of music halls would be worried about their license, and the singalong nature of music hall songs meant that one needed to sing songs which had the support of the vast majority of the audience. In the music hall, dissent about the war drive was therefore limited to sarcastic songs such as Oh It's a Lovely War or bitter complaints about the stupidity of conscription tribunals. When the anti-war movement had, for a few months in 1916, a mass audience, anti-war music hall songs from the United States such as I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier were sung at anti-war meetings, but not on the music hall stage.

Naturally not all the memories of this era would be pleasant nor all the experiences joyful, but there is no doubt that the songs of World War I left a lasting impression on all who sang and heard them. Such has been the power of this music that it has been passed down from one generation to the next so that while the memory of specific horrors of war in the trenches may have been dimmed, the words and melodies are still very much alive.

What follows are the song lyrics of today’s program in chronological order as they were recorded and released in the United States. It's A Long Way To Tipperary (191$) Up to mighty London came an Irishman one day, As the streets were paved with gold, sure every one was gay, Singing songs of Piccadilly, Strand and Leicester Square, Till Paddy got excited, then he shouted to them there:

It's a long way to Tipperary,It's a long way to go, It's a long way to Tipperary,To the sweetest girl I know! Goodbye Piccadilly! Farewell Leicester Square! It's a long, long way to Tipperary, But my heart's right there!

Paddy wrote a letter to his Irish Molly O', Saying "Should you not receive it, write and let me know! If I make mistakes in spelling, Molly dear", said he, "Remember it's the pen that's bad, don't lay the blame on me"

Molly wrote a neat reply to Irish Paddy O', Saying "Mike Maloney wants to marry me, and so, Leave the Strand and Piccadilly, or you'll be to blame, For love has fairly drove me silly - hoping you're the same!"

I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier (1915) Ten million soldiers to the war have gone, Who may never return again. Ten million mother's hearts must break For the ones who died in vain. Head bowed down in sorrow In her lonely years, I heard a mother murmur thro' her tears:

"I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier, I brought him up to be my pride and joy, Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder, To shoot some other mother's darling boy? Let nations arbitrate their future troubles, It's time to lay the sword and gun away, There'd be no war today, If mother's all would say, I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier." What victory can cheer a mother's heart, When she looks at her blighted home? What victory can bring her back All she cared to call her own. Let each mother answer In the years to be, "Remember that my boy belongs to me!"

Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts for Soldiers (1915) Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts For Soldiers Sister Susie's sewing in the kitchen on a "Singer", There's miles and miles of flannel on the floor And up the stairs, And father says it's rotten getting mixed up with the cotton, And sitting on the needles that she leaves upon the chairs.

And should you knock at our street door Ma whispers, "Come inside." Then when you ask where Susie is, She says with loving pride:

"Sister Susie's sewing shirts for soldiers Such skill at sewing shirts Our shy young sister Susie shows!

Some soldiers send epistles, Say they'd sooner sleep in thistles Than the saucy, soft, short shirts for soldiers sister Susie sews."

Piles and piles and piles of shirts she sends out to the soldiers, And sailors won't be jealous when they see them, not at all.

And when we say her stitching will set all the soldiers itching, She says our soldiers fight best when their back's against the wall. And little brother Gussie, he who lisps when he says "yes", Says "Where's the cotton gone from off my kite? Oh, I can gueth!" I forgot to tell you that our sister Susie's married, And when she isn't sewing shirts She's sewing other things. Then little sister Molly says, "Oh, sister's bought a dolly. She's making all the clothes for it With pretty bows and strings."

Says Susie: "Don't be silly" As she blushes and she sighs. Then mother smiles and whispers with a twinkle in her eyes

Keep The Home Fires Burning (1916) They were summoned from the hillside, They were called in from the glen, And the country found them ready At the stirring call for men Let no tears add to their hardships As the soldiers pass along, And although your heart is breaking, Make it sing this cheery song:

Keep the Home Fires Burning, While your hearts are yearning. Though your lads are far away They dream of home. There's a silver lining Through the dark clouds shining, Turn the dark cloud inside out Till the boys come home.

Overseas there came a pleading, "Help a nation in distress." And we gave our glorious laddies— Honour made us do no less, [ or Honour bade us do no less] For no gallant son of Freedom [ or For no gallant Son of Britain] Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag (And Smile, Smile, Smile) (1917) Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag And smile, smile, smile, While you've a lucifer to light your fag, Smile, boys, that's the style. What's the use of worrying? It never was worthwhile So pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag And smile, smile, smile.

For Your Country and My Country (1917) We know you love your land of liberty We know you love your U.S.A. But if you want the world to know it Now's the time to show it Your Uncle Sammy needs you one and all Answer to his call

For your country and my country With millions of real fighting men

It's your duty and my duty To speak with the sword, not a pen

If Washington were living today With sword in hand he'd stand up and say

For your country and my country I'll do it all over again

America has opened up her heart To ev'ry nationality And now she asks of ev'ry nation Their appreciation It makes no diff'rence now from where you came We are all the same Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning (1917)

I've been a soldier quite a while And I would like to state The life is simply wonderful The Army food is great I sleep with ninety-seven others in a wooden hut I love them all They all love me It's very lovely but

Oh! How I hate to get up in the morning Oh! How I'd love to remain in bed For the hardest blow of all Is to hear the bugler call Ya gotta get up. Ya gotta get up Ya gotta get up this morning

Someday I'm going to murder the bugler Someday they're going to find him dead I'll amputate his reveille And step upon it heavily And spend the rest of my life in bed

And then I'll get that other pup The guy who wakes the bugler up

Goodbye Broadway, Hello France (1917) Goodbye New York town, goodbye Miss Liberty, Your light of freedom will guide us across the sea, Every soldier's sweetheart bidding goodbye, Every soldier's mother drying her eye. Cheer up we'll soon be there, Singing this Yankee air:

Goodbye Broadway, Hello France, We're ten million strong, Goodbye sweethearts, wives and mothers, It won't take us long. Don't you worry while we're there, It's for you we're fighting too, So Goodbye Broadway, Hello France, We're going to square our debt to you. 'Vive Pershing' is the cry across the sea. We're united in this fight for liberty. France sent us a soldier, brave Lafayette Whose great deeds and fame we cannot forget. Now that we have the chance, We'll pay our debt to France.

Over There (1917) Johnnie, get your gun Get your gun, get your gun Take it on the run On the run, on the run Hear them calling, you and me Every son of liberty Hurry right away No delay, go today Make your daddy glad To have had such a lad

Tell your sweetheart not to pine To be proud her boy's in line Over there, over there Send the word, send the word over there That the Yanks are coming The Yanks are coming The drums rum-tumming Everywhere So prepare, say a prayer Send the word, send the word to beware We'll be over, we're coming over

And we won't come back till it's over over there Johnnie, get your gun Get your gun, get your gun Johnnie show the Hun Who's a son of a gun Hoist the flag and let her fly Yankee Doodle do or die Pack your little kit Show your grit, do your bit Yankee to the ranks From the towns and the tanks Make your mother proud of you And the old Red, White and Blue

Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight I've heard the prayers of mothers Some of them old and gray I've heard the prayers of others For those who went away Oft times a prayer will teach one The meaning of goodbye I've felt the pain of each one But this one made me cry

(Pre-Chorus) Just a baby's prayer at twilight When lights are low Her baby's years, are filled with tears There's mother there at twilight Who's proud to know Her precious little tot Is Dad's forget-me-not After saying "Goodnight, Mama" She climbs upstairs Quite unaware And says her prayer Oh kindly tell my daddy that he must take care" That's a baby's prayer at twilight For her daddy, over there

‘Til We Meet Again (1918) There's a song in the land of the lily Each sweetheart has heard with a sigh Over high garden walls this sweet echo falls As a soldier boy whispers goodbye

Smile the while you kiss me sad adieu When the clouds roll by I'll come to you Then the skies will seem more blue Down in Lover's Lane, my dearie

Wedding bells will ring so merrily Ev'ry tear will be a memory So wait and pray each night for me Till we meet again

Though goodbye means the birth of a teardrop Hello means the birth of a smile And the smile will erase the tear blighting trace When we meet in the after awhile

Smile the while you kiss me sad adieu When the clouds roll by I'll come to you Then the skies will seem more blue Down in Lover's Lane, my dearie

Wedding bells will ring so merrily Ev'ry tear will be a memory So wait and pray each night for me Till we meet again

Roses of Picardy (1918) She is watching by the poplars, Colinette with the sea-blue eyes, She is watching and longing and waiting Where the long white roadway lies. And a song stirs in the silence, As the wind in the boughs above, She listens and starts and trembles, 'Tis the first little song of love:

Roses are shining in Picardy, in the hush of the silver dew, Roses are flowering in Picardy, but there's never a rose like you! And the roses will die with the summertime, and our roads may be far apart, But there's one rose that dies not in Picardy! 'tis the rose that I keep in my heart!

And the years fly on for ever, Till the shadows veil their skies, But he loves to hold her little hands, And look in her sea-blue eyes. And she sees the road by the poplars, Where they met in the bygone years, For the first little song of the roses Is the last little song she hears:

I’ve Got My Captain Working for Me Now (1919) Johnny Jones was a first class private In the army last year Now he's back to bus'ness in his father's place Sunday night I saw him with a smiling face When I asked why he felt so happy Johnny chuckled with glee He winked his eye and made this reply: "Something wonderful has happened to me"

I've got the guy who used to be my Captain working for me He wanted work so I made him a clerk in my father's factory And bye and bye I'm gonna have him wrapped in work up to his brow I make him open the office ev'ry morning at eight I come around about four hours late Ev'rything comes to those who wait I've got my Captain working for me now

He's not worth what I have to pay him But I'll never complain I've agreed to give him fifty dollars per It's worth twice as much to hear him call me "Sir" While I sit in my cosy office He's outside working hard Out in the hall at my beck and call With a feather duster standing on guard

I've got the guy who used to be my Captain working for me He wanted work so I made him a clerk in my father's factory And bye and bye I'm gonna have him wrapped in work up to his brow When I come into the office he gets up on his feet Stands at attention and gives me his seat

How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)? Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking Said his wifey dear Now that all is peaceful and calm The boys will soon be back on the farm Mister Reuben started winking and slowly rubbed his chin He pulled his chair up close to mother And he asked her with a grin

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm After they've seen Paree' How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway Jazzin around and paintin' the town How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery They'll never want to see a rake or plow And who the deuce can parleyvous a cow? How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm After they've seen Paree'

Rueben, Rueben, you're mistaken Said his wifey dear Once a farmer, always a jay And farmers always stick to the hay Mother Reuben, I'm not fakin Tho you may think it strange But wine and women play the mischief With a boy who's loose with change

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm After they've seen Paree' How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway Jazzin around and paintin' the town How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery Imagine Reuben when he meets his Pa He'll kiss his cheek and holler "OO-LA-LA! How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm After they've seen Paree'?