Chords for Green Fields of France-Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell

_ _ _ _ _ Oh, thank God they're not all up like that.
_ We have some very quiet songs, too, from Ireland. _
_ This next song is a serious song, _ and yet, _ even though it is a serious [F#] song, it was number
one on the hit parade on our national radio for almost [F] a year. _ _ _ _
And _ this song was written by a young poet and songwriter. _ _ _
[B] He went to France [G] on his [A#] holidays _ _ one summer, _ _ [Em] and he came across that part of France where
the dead [A#] of World War I were buried.
_ _ [C#] _ _ Thousands and thousands of gravestones scattered over the hillsides.
_ _ [F] Today, of course, is a _ very appropriate day _ [E]
for [A#] remembering. _ _ _ _ _
But this young poet _ sat [G] in front of one of the [A#] gravestones, _ _ and he wrote this lovely song.
The song, _ _ The Gravestone, said very simply, _ _ William _ McBride, _ _ age _ [D#] 19.
_ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Well, how [A#] do [E] you do, _ [A] young William _ [F#m] _ _ McBride?
_ [B] Do you mind if I sit here [A] down by your [E] _
graveside _ _ and rest for [G#m] a while near [A] the warm [E] summer [F#m] sun?
_ [B] I've been walking _ all day, _ [A] and I'm _ [E] nearly done.
_ I see by your _ gravestone you [D#m] were _ [C#m] only _ [F#m] 19 _ _ [B] when you joined [E] the Great _ Falling [A] in _ _ _
[B] _ 1916.
_ _ _ _ [C#] _
_ _ [E] I hope you died well, _ [F#m] and I hope you [A] died clean.
[B] Our young William _ _ _ _ McBride, [F#] was it slow [F#m] and [E] _
obscene?
_ Did they [B] _ beat the drums slowly?
_ [A] Did they _ play the [E] hive _ lowly?
[D#m] Did they [B] sound the dead march _ [D#] as they _ lowered you _ _ down? _ _
_ _ [A] Did the band play the last [E] post and _ _ chorus?
[C#m] _ _ _ _ Did [E] the pipes play [C#m] the _ flowers of [B] the _ _ _ _
[E] forest?
_ _ _ _ Did _ _ _ _ _ _ you _ _ leave any wife _ [A] or a sweetheart _ _ [F#m] _
behind?
_ [B] In some faithful _ _ heart is your memory _ [E] _ _ enshrined, _ _
[Bm] although _ _ [E] you died back [A] in _ _ [E] _ _ [F#m]
1916.
_ _ [B] In that _ faithful _ heart are you [F#m] forever _ _ [E] 19? _ _ _
Or are you a stranger without _ [F#m] _ even a _ name, _ [B] enclosed _ down _ forever _ _ [A] _
behind a [B] glass frame? _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] In an old _ photograph, _ _ torn, [F#m] tattered, and _ [A] stained, _
[B] and faded to yellow _ [A] in a brown leather
[E] _
_ frame, did they [B] _
beat the drums _ slowly?
[A] Did they play the [E] hive _ lowly?
[D#m] Did they _ [B] sound the dead march _ [C#] as they _ lowered [B] you _ down? _ _ _
Did [A] the band play the last [E] post and _ [D#m] chorus?
_ [C#m] _ _ _ Did [E] the pipes _ [A] play the _ flowers of [B] the _ _ _ _ [E] forest?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
[E] _ _ _ _ Ah, the sun, how it _ shines on [A] the green fields [F#m] of France. _
[B] There's a warm summer _ breeze, [A] makes the red _ [E] poppies dance.
_ And look _ how the sun shines [A] from _ under [F#] the clouds.
There's no [B] gas, no barbed wire, there's no [A] guns _ [E] firing now.
_ _ But here in [B] this _ [E] graveyard, it's [F#m]
still no man's land.
[G#m] _
[B] The countless [E] _ [B] white crosses _
_ [C#m] in mute _ [B] witness stand.
_ _ _ _ [C#] No _
[E] man's blind _ _ indifference _ [F#] to his fellow _ [A]
man, _ _ [B] to a whole _ _ generation that were [A] _
butchered [E] and _ damned.
[B] Did they _ beat the drums _ slowly?
[A] Did they _ play the [E] hive lowly?
[G#m] Did they [B] sound the dead march _ [C#] as they _ _ lowered [B] you _ down? _ _
_ _ Did [A] the band play the last [E] post and _ _ [G#m] chorus?
_ [C#m] _ _ _ [C#] Did the [E] pipes _ [A] play the _ flowers of [B] the _ _ _ _ [E]
forest? _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Ah, young Willie _ _ _ McBride, I can't [A] help _ [F#m] wonder why.
_ _ [E] If [C#] those who lie _ here know [A] _ why they [E] have _ died, _
did they _ believe _ [A] when they answered _ [F#] the [F#m] call?
Did [Bm] they really [F#] _ _
_ believe that [A] this _ war would end _ [E] wars?
The sorrow, _ _ the suffering, the [C#] _ glory, _ the [C#m] pain,
_ [B] the killing, _ the dying, _ [A] was _ all that [B] in _ vain. _
_ [C#] _ _ [E] Ah, young Willie _ _ _ _ McBride, it all [F#m] happened _ _ [A] again, _
[B] and again, _ and again, [F#m] and _ again, [E] and _ again.
[B] Did they _ beat the drums _ slowly?
Did [A] they play the [E] hive _ lowly?
[D#m] Did they [B] _ sound the dead march _ as they _ lowered you _ _ down? _ _ _
Did [A] the band play the last [B] post and _ chorus? _
[C#m] _ _ _ [C#] Did the [E] pipes play [A] the _ flowers [B] of the _ forest? _ _ _ _
[C#m] _ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A#] _ _
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