Oh It's a Lovely War

DESCRIPTION: "Up to your waist in water, Up to your eyes in slush, Using the kind of language That makes the sergeants blush." "Oh, oh, oh, it's a lovely war. Who wouldn't be a soldier, eh?" The soldier complains of food and poor pay while pretending to praise them
AUTHOR: J. P. Long and Maurice Scott (source: Palmer-WhatALovelyWar)
EARLIEST DATE: 1917 (source: Palmer-WhatALovelyWar)
KEYWORDS: war soldier humorous food
FOUND IN: US Ireland
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Shay-BarroomBallads/PiousFriendsDrunkenCompanions, pp. 74-75, "Oh! Oh! Oh! It's a Lovely War!" (1 text)
Brophy/Partridge-TommiesSongsAndSlang, p. 219, "(Oh, Oh, Oh, It's a Lovely War" (1 fragment)
Pegler-SoldiersSongsAndSlangoftheGreatWar, pp. 285-286, "Oh! It's a Lovely War" (1 text)
Kane-SongsAndSayingsOfAnUlsterChildhood, p. 182, "Oh, it's a lovely war" (1 short text)
Arthur-WhenThisBloodyWarIsOver, pp.47-48, "Oh! It's a Lovely War" (1 text)
FolkSongAndMusicHall, "Oh Its a lovely war" (sic.)
Roud #9624
NOTES [109 words]: According to Arthur-WhenThisBloodyWarIsOver, this inspired Joan Littlewood's play "Oh! What a Lovely War," which in 1969 became a film produced by Richard Attenborough. Littlewood produced her play long after her divorce from Ewan MacColl, but they worked together for some time after the divorce. I wondered a bit if he had anything to do with the play, but it is not mentioned in his autobiography Journeyman. (Which is, to be sure, extremely selective -- e.g. it doesn't mention his war service or the fact that he deserted.)
For notes on the infamous Tickler's plum-and-apple jam, see the notes to "When the War Is Over, We Shall Have Some Jam." - RBW
Last updated in version 7.2
File: SBar074

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography