High Germany ( Roud 904), is a traditional folk song, once known throughout England, Ireland and Scotland, with a history spanning hundreds of years. There are three songs known as ''High Germany''. This page focuses on the best known one, the others being ''The Two Lovers'' or ''True Lovers'' (Roud 1445) and ''The Wars of Germany'' (Roud 5608). The song deals with a young man (usually named Willy) and his lover (Polly) lamenting over his conscription to fight in Germany, "

High Germany High Germany is a geographical term referring to the mountainous southern part of Germany. The term is first found in medieval Latin as , for example in chapter 23 of the ''Imago mundi'' of Honorius Augustodunensis (12th century, Regensburg): , "F ...

" referring to the southern, mountainous part of the country. He attempts to convince her to join him in the war. "Polly" professes her love, but declares she is not fit for war. "Willy" attempts to persuade her to change her mind, stating that he will buy her a horse to ride, and that they will eventually wed. "Polly" still refuses and laments that her man has been drafted away from her. The historical setting of the ballad is most likely either the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

(1701–1714) or the

Seven Years War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754–1 ...

(1756–1763). The first verse is usually as follows:

Cecil Sharp Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was an English-born collector of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as well as a lecturer, teacher, composer and musician. He was the pre-eminent activist in the development of t ...

collected a version in 1906, and successfully encouraged

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

to use the melody in ''A Somerset Rhapsody'' (1907).

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

later used the melody in the third movement of his famous ''

English Folk Song Suite ''English Folk Song Suite'' is one of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams' most famous works. It was first published for the military band as ''Folk Song Suite'' and its premiere was given at Kneller Hall on 4 July 1923, conducted by Lt Hec ...

'' (1923)''.''

Field recordings

Countless versions of the ballad have been found, including numerous recordings, several of which are available online. The following examples are some which use variations of the famous tune. * 1908: Archer Lane of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, recorded on phonograph by

Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who lived in the United States from 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long an ...

* 1956: Phoebe Smith of Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, recorded by Peter Kennedy * 1968: Ethel Findlater of Dounby, Orkney, recorded by Alan J. Bruford

Popular recordings

* 1965:

Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...

performed a version of the song on his first album, ''

'' * 1969:

The Dubliners The Dubliners were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personn ...

performed the song on their album, ''

At Home with The Dubliners ''At Home with the Dubliners'' is the first album that The Dubliners made with producers Bill Martin and Phil Coulter. Their contract with Major Minor had ended at this point and they signed with EMI-Columbia Records. Some rare pressings fea ...

'', with

Luke Kelly Luke Kelly (17 November 1940 – 30 January 1984) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor from Dublin, Ireland. Born into a working-class household in Dublin city, Kelly moved to England in his late teens and by his early 20s had become i ...

on lead vocals * 1972: Pentangle sang their version on '' Solomon's Seal'' * 2011: Tersivel performed a metal version of the song on their album '' For One Pagan Brotherhood'' * 2011:

The Dreadnoughts The Dreadnoughts are a Canadian 6-piece folk-punk band from Vancouver. The band combines a wide range of European folk music with modern street punk. The band has six full-length albums and three EPs on various labels, and has played around 500 ...

included the lyrics and melody of the song in their medley, "The Cruel Wars" * 2021:

The Longest Johns The Longest Johns are a British folk musical group from Bristol, England, consisting of Andy Yates, Dave Robinson, Jonathan "JD" Darley, and Robbie Sattin. They are known for performing folk music and sea shanties in the English tradition, and ...

recorded their version as, "The Cruel Wars"

References

{{reflist Folk songs Traditional ballads