News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-11-04
LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY
Tommy Atkins War Song Written in This
Country
Arthur l.. Cheney, Druggist.
MoIrisville, Vt.
From a New York Exchange

From New York Exchange
''Irs Long, Long Way to Tipperary."
the marching song of the British army,
was written right here in New York 1t
was composed three years ago, but it
needed great war to bring it into popu
larity.
1t was originally intended for little
vaudeville skit. The composer of it,,
Harry Williams, is also the composer of
the treasured local lyric, I'm Afraid to
| Go Home in the Dark
| There's an odd history to all these
songs that sweep into favor with the roll
of "a drum. Rouget de Lisle wrote his
| famous battle hymn to greet the passing
army of the Marseillaise on it's way
through Strasburg He was lieutenant
there and-so one of the stories go-he
was tipsy when he wrote it. His reward
was to be the last bottle of wine in the
cellar in his inn. He fms he'd it hastily,
drowsily, to meet the coming of the
"black- browed mass" of revolutionists at
dawn. When the last note of it was
down on paper his head topped into his
hands and he fell asleep. The greatest
war song ever promulgated" is what
Carlyle calls it, land whole armies and
assemblages will sing it, with eyes weep
ing and burning, witt hearts defiant of
death, despot and devil"
81,
Wacht am Rhein'', was first published in
a provincial newspaper. Within two
weeks it had appeared in almost every
publication in Germany and had been
set four times to music.
Julia Ward Howe has left a subjective
bit of "reminiscences to tell how she wrote
the Battle Hymn of the Republic" 1t
was after a visit to the ragged Union
camp that her heart gave way TO it's glo-
rious Inspiration. But more popular and
useful was the original version of tnat
song; the uncouth John Browns Body" |
and that other rollicking jargon of sir
ring nonsense, "As We Go Marching |
Through Georgia" And when the Span
ish- American war took our soldiers into |
the Cuban plantations, they had one
great, rough tune to cheer them; it's |
name was "There'll Be a Hot Time in
til. Old Town Tonight"
As for AR. Harry Williams, who wrote
"TipperaIy," it has been impossible to
determine whether or not he is an Eng
glishman by birth. At any rate he has
been spending six months out of every
year in London or thereabout, doing odd
jobs in vaudeville. The other half of
the year he has been living here.
But it has been esta blshed denffitely
that "Tipperary" was written at house
IN Douglas Manor, L. l., to be exact. IL
was finished early in 1912. 1t was sub
mitted to publishers on this side of the
water and accepted by an English firm.
But it was not published in America at
hat time. And, in fact, when it was
brought out in London, a little later, 1t
allied to arouse much enthusiasm. 1t
vas only after the war began and the
weary marches were forced that some
me in the ranks started this little ballad
# the music hall and found in it all the
equisipes of en- immortal war song,
rec singing Tilt, touch of humor of
eminent, and dash of rough and ready
patriotism.
There is something peculiarly appro-
'riate about the tune. The French have
lad it translated and are singing it as
hey 60 to battle. Scotch Highlanders,
rho probably never heard of Ireland's
fpperary, are playing it on their bag
ipes. Canadian reservists, lonesome for
be Western forests, are cumming it.
md native Bengalese are grooming the
tile song through their white teeth as .
hey SILVER through the chilly nights and
'ipe their bayonets dry.
But for all that it was MADE in the !
!. S. A"