Dropkick Murphys - Green Fields of France
Thanks to dalfireplug for turning me on to this great video. The first time I watched it tears were streaming down my face.
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The song, written by Eric Bogle, is also called "No Man's Land" and "Willie McBride". Here's his own words about how he came to write the song.
It's a song that was written about the military cemeteries in Flanders and Northern France. In 1976, my wife and I went to three or four of these military cemeteries and saw all the young soldiers buried there.
—Eric Bogle
- wikipedia
Here's a link to Eric Bogle's Bogleography.
The Dropkick Murphy's are an American band from Quincy, Massachusetts that plays Celtic Punk. Besides having great taste in cover songs they also do original topical music.
The Fields of Athenry - Dropkick Murphys Concert Northern Lights NY '06
The song "Last Letter Home" contains excerpts from personal letters between Sgt. Andrew Farrar, his mother and his wife. The following is taken from the album notes:
We had already finished this song that was based on general correspondences to & from the soldiers serving in Iraq, when we were contacted by the family of Sgt. Andrew Farrar who had recently died while serving there. The family wanted to tell us he was a big supporter of the Dropkick Murphys. They also passed on a letter that he had written to his mother shortly before his death in which he thanks her for sending him a Dropkick Murphys CD & said that if anything should happen to him while in Iraq, he would like one of our songs played at his funeral. He also left behind a wife, Melissa and two young boys Tyler & Liam. His tour of duty in Iraq was coming to an end & he was due to come home & renew his wedding vows with Melissa to another song of ours, "Forever". Sgt Farrar died on January 28th, on his 31st birthday. We were present at his funeral to grant his wish and played "Fields of Athenry" as his casket entered the church. This song was re-written to include excerpts from that letter.
The band released a single, with the family's permission, including the Andrew Farrar-dedicated "Field Of Athenry" and "The Last Letter Home". All proceeds went to the Farrar family.
- wikipedia
You can hear "The Last Letter Home" at last.fm.
Thanks Ma I got your package today
I love "The Fields Of Athenry"
I swear I want 'em to play that song on the pipes
At my funeral when I die
...
"We regret to inform you that on January 28th Sgt. Andrew
Farrar died while serving his country in the Al-Anbar province
of Iraq words cannot convey our sorrow"
- The Last Letter Home
If you're not crying as you read this you need an empathy boost.
If you want to view some more Dropkick Murphys songs on their website they have this incredible page of videos.
Dropkick Murphy Videos
Whenever I do research for these diaries I find out there's always a story. Before dalfireplug made his comment in my Buffy Sainte-Marie diary I had not heard of the Dropkick Murphys. Now they're one of my favorite bands and I still haven't heard most of their songs. Kind of gives me something to look forward to.
So please recommend your favorite music that changed the world in the comments.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry