"Keep the Home-Fires Burning (Till the Boys Come Home)" is a British patriotic
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...
composed in 1914 by
Ivor Novello with words by
Lena Guilbert Ford (whose middle name was sometimes printed as "Gilbert").
The song was published first as "
'Till the Boys Come Home" on 8 October 1914 by Ascherberg, Hopwood and Crew Ltd. in London.
[home fire burning
]
A new edition was printed in 1915 with the name "Keep the Home-Fires Burning".
[ The song became very popular in the United Kingdom during the war, along with "]It's a Long Way to Tipperary
"It's a Long Way to Tipperary" (or "It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary") is an English music hall song first performed in 1912 by Jack Judge, and written by Judge and Harry Williams, though authorship of the song has long been disputed.
It ...
".
James F. Harrison recorded "Keep the Home-Fires Burning" in 1915, as did Stanley Kirkby in 1916. Another popular recording was sung by tenor John McCormack in 1917, who was also the first to record "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" in 1914. (See External links
An internal link is a type of hyperlink on a web page to another page or resource, such as an image or document, on the same website or domain.
Hyperlinks are considered either "external" or "internal" depending on their target or destinatio ...
below to hear these recordings of "Keep the Home-Fires Burning".) Other versions include one by Frederick J. Wheeler and one by the duet Reed Miller & Frederick Wheeler.
There is a misconception that Ivor Novello's mother wrote the lyrics for the song (propagated—for example—by patter in recorded performances of British musical comedy duo Hinge and Bracket
Dr Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket were characters devised by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe for their comedy and musical act. Hinge and Bracket were elderly, intellectual female musicians; in these personae the male Logan and Fyffe play ...
) but Lena Ford (an American) was a friend and collaborator of Novello, not a blood relation.
The opening of the melody bears a resemblance to Gustav Holst's setting of the Christmas Carol "In the Bleak Midwinter
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti, commonly performed as a Christmas carol. The poem was published, under the title "A Christmas Carol", in the January 1872 issue of ''Scribner's Monthly,'' and was first c ...
".
Lyrics
:They were summoned from the hillside,
:They were called in from the glen,
:And the country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
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:
::Refrain
::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:To a tyrant's yoke should bend, 'or'' To a foreign yoke shall bend:And a noble heart must answer 'or'' And no Englishman is silent:To the sacred call of "Friend".
::Refrain
In popular culture
*The song is sung by Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...
and a group of British soldiers in the 1942 film '' This Above All''.
*The song was included in the 1969 musical ''Oh! What a Lovely War
''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Ol ...
'' and in the 1970 musical film ''Darling Lili
''Darling Lili'' is a 1970 American romantic-musical spy film, written by William Peter Blatty and Blake Edwards, the latter also directing the film. It stars Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and Jeremy Kemp, with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by ...
''.
*The song is heard playing in the background of the train station scene in Episode 4 of the fourth season of the British drama Upstairs Downstairs. The episode is called "Women Shall Not Weep". The scene sees the character of Edward (footman) saying farewell to his new wife Daisy (housemaid) at the railway station, as he departs for the trenches in France in 1915.Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
''.
*In the 2002 film ''Gosford Park
''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. It was influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic ''La Règle du jeu'' ('' The Rules of the Game'').
The film stars ...
'', the guests at a country house are entertained by Novello (played by Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Philip Northam (born 1 December 1961) is an English actor and singer. After a number of television roles, he earned attention as Mr. Knightley in the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen's '' Emma''. He has appeared in the films ''An Idea ...
), who performs the song on the piano.
*In the film ''Johnny Got His Gun
''Johnny Got His Gun'' is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist Dalton Trumbo and published in September 1939 by J. B. Lippincott. The novel won one of the early National Book Awards: the Most Original Book of 1939. A 1971 fi ...
'' when the characters are celebrating a Christmas party; this clip was later used at the end of Metallica's music video, " One".
*Featured in the Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey ( ga, Seán Ó Cathasaigh ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.
...
play ''The Plough and the Stars
''The Plough and the Stars'' is a four-act play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey that was first performed on 8 February 1926 at the Abbey Theatre. It is set in Dublin and addresses the 1916 Easter Rising. The play's title references the Sta ...
''.
*The last refrain is sung by the employees of ''Are You Being Served?
''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London ...
'' in the episode "Camping In."
*The main chorus is sung by the entire cast of ''M*A*S*H'' in the episode "War of Nerves" (Season 6, episode 5) during a stress-relieving "bon-type-fire".
*The song is briefly heard in a scene of new army recruits marching in a parade in the 1930 film ''A Soldier's Plaything''.
*The song is performed at the conclusion of ''The Still Alarm'' (1925), a one-act play by George S. Kaufman.
*The song is performed in the 1976 film Aces High.
*The song is sung by a chorus of British army soldiers awaiting rescue at Dunkirk in the 2007 movie Atonement
Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...
.
References
Bibliography
*Ford, Lena Guilbert (w.); Novello, Ivor (m.). "Keep the Home-Fires Burning ('Till the Boys Come Home)"(Sheet music). New York: Chappell & Co. Ltd. (1915).
External links
"'Till The Boys Come Home"
James F. Harrison (Edison Blue Amberol 2773, 1915)—
Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
'.
€”www.firstworldwar.com (1917 McCormack recording and 1916 Kirkby recording).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keep The Home Fires Burning (1914 Song)
1914 songs
Songs of World War I
Songs from musicals
British patriotic songs
Songs written by Ivor Novello