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The Mountains Adieu
[ Roud 1719 ; VWML RoudFS/S149419 ; trad.]
Henry Hills of Lodsworth, Sussex, sang It's of a Young Soldier to W. Percy Merrick in January 1900. This was printed in the Journal of the Folk-Song Society 1 (1901) p.106. Merrick noted:
Mr Hills says he learnt this song from a carter at Lodsworth many years ago. I cannot tell from his pronunciation whether to write ‘The Mount of the Dew’ or ‘The Mount of Adieu’.
And F.K. (Frank Kidson?) noted:
If, as is probable, the words relate to an engagement where General Baird was commander, it is most likely to have been the battle of Coruña in 1808. It have not met with the ballad or tune before.
George Deacon sang The Mountains Adieu on his and Marion Ross' Transatlantic album Sounding Now. The album's liner notes commented:
The battle this song describes is difficult to place although Corunna has been suggested as the most likely. A more complete text would perhaps explain things more fully but sadly none has survived.
The Claque sang The Mountains Adieu in 2008 on their WildGoose CD Sounding Now. They noted:
The Mountains Adieu is from the Peninsular Wars and was learned from the singing of George Deacon. It questions the ideal of the righteous causes of war when even God’s protected hit the dust at the hands of the French. Al Murray would not approve!
Lyrics
Henry Hills sing It's of a Young Soldier | The Claque sing The Mountains Adieu |
---|---|
It's of a young soldier, a letter did write |
Why, it's of a young soldier, a letter did write |
You'll see we young go climbing the wall, |
Why, to see we young soldiers going over the wall |
To see we bold soldiers march down the wall side, |
Why, to see we young soldiers going down the hillside |
General Bair, our commander, all the rest of the fight, |
General Baird, our commander for the rest of the fight, |