"I'll Make a Man of You" is a
World War I recruiting song that was sung across Britain in hopes of rallying young men to enlist in the military. It is sung from a flirtatious young woman's perspective of how she dates military men in order to turn them into better soldiers. It was written and composed by
Arthur Wimperis and
Herman Finck in 1914. The song was also showcased in
Frank Lloyd's ''
Cavalcade'', and in the musical and film ''
Oh, What a Lovely War!''.
This song is well known for spawning numerous obscene parody versions which were performed in
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
s during World War I and
World War II, and are often still sung by serving soldiers today. One of the most notable of these parodies was "I Don't Want to Join the Army", a sanitized version of which also featured in ''
Oh, What a Lovely War!''.
Lyrics
References
{{authority control
1914 songs
British songs
Songs of World War I