Chants of old...And new (1 Viewer)

Cov kid 55

Well-Known Member
Dougan’s on the Western Front, parlez vous,
Repeat
Dougan’s on the Western Front, give us a gun and I’ll shoot the (you can guess!)

Sung at Wolves games (our big rivals) in the 60’s.
 

Cov kid 55

Well-Known Member
Oh, and the last line was, for some reason or other,

‘Inky pinky parlez vous’

Suppose it just finished the verse off.
 

skyblue025

Well-Known Member
We're the right side, we're the right side, we're the right side over here swiftly followed by we're the left side, we're the left side, we're the left side over here. Haven't heard it in a while. Maybe the lyrics are too hard to learn.
 

Magwitch

Well-Known Member
To the tune If you go down to the woods today used at the time in a Sugar Puff advert.

“If you come in the West End today you’re in for a big surprise.
If you come in the West End today you’ll hardly believe your eyes.
For Jeremy the sugar puff bear has got some boots and cropped his hair.
Todays the day that Jeremy’s joined the skin heads.”
 

Cov kid 55

Well-Known Member
Yes it was played at the end of the film, 'They shall not grow old'. A film I would recommend watching to anyone whose not seen it. I defy anyone watching it to not to be moved to tears.

Thanks Oscillatewidly and LSB. Amazing where the tune and the words came from. Makes you think that it was a very old take off of the song from the film, and we were still singing it in the late 60’s. Fascinating - l may have seen the film years ago, full of old English character actors? I’ll reprise.
 

Legia Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Thanks Oscillatewidly and LSB. Amazing where the tune and the words came from. Makes you think that it was a very old take off of the song from the film, and we were still singing it in the late 60’s. Fascinating - l may have seen the film years ago, full of old English character actors? I’ll reprise.

Covkid - no the film is recent, from last year. It colourized old WW1 footage and used lip readers to translate the Tommy's words captured on film ,which they then dubbed over it. Absolutely brilliant film making, and makes it really come to life. I watched it in Warsaw last Summer, and the Poles in the cinema were really moved by it. All stayed until the end of the credits to the end of this song and applauded when the film finished, something I've never seen before. Looking at some of the comments attached to that youtube clip it looks like some people remembered their parents/ grandparents humming and singing the tune, which in the 60's would have still been in living memory of many - a bit like a Beatles song is familiar to many of us today.
 

jackdg

Well-Known Member
Bit of an old nostalgic one...

Oh-whoa-oh We’ve got Clarrie Bourton
Oh-whoa-oh George Mason in the Middle
Oh-whoa-oh never give the ball away
1-2-3-4
 

COVKIDSNEVERQUIT

Well-Known Member
He's here, He's there, He's every fucking where Willie Carr, Willie Carr.
 

Cov kid 55

Well-Known Member
Covkid - no the film is recent, from last year. It colourized old WW1 footage and used lip readers to translate the Tommy's words captured on film ,which they then dubbed over it. Absolutely brilliant film making, and makes it really come to life. I watched it in Warsaw last Summer, and the Poles in the cinema were really moved by it. All stayed until the end of the credits to the end of this song and applauded when the film finished, something I've never seen before. Looking at some of the comments attached to that youtube clip it looks like some people remembered their parents/ grandparents humming and singing the tune, which in the 60's would have still been in living memory of many - a bit like a Beatles song is familiar to many of us today.
Yes, it’s strange to think that when some of us were growing up in the 60’s, a lot of people around us would have had clear memories of the First World War, including troop songs. Indeed, many of the ‘older’ men (as we thought of them) would have fought in the trenches. I wish I had the interest then that I do know.
 

Cov kid 55

Well-Known Member
Anyhow, on a lighter note, in the mid sixties my Grandad used to sing, ‘aye aye aye aye, Glazier is better than Yashin, and Gibson is better than Eusebio, and Wolves are in for a thrashing’. (or whoever we were playing)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top