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Will ye go to Flanders

from Bring out the Banners by Paul 'Bolshie' Brown

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about

Song notes: This is an anti-war song the first and fourth verses dating back to the Duke of Marlborough’s campaign in Flanders 1706-07 during the Spanish War of Succession. The two old verses appear in David Herd’s Scots Songs II, 23, 1776.
I first heard this song from Ossian. I’ve seen different attributions for verses 2 and 3, but this Mudcat thread makes it clear that the verses here were written by Billy Ross of Ossian: mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10176
Whatever the origins of the song it tells us that the Flanders region of Europe has been a theatre of war for centuries. Interesting that the toffs took their wives and mistresses to watch battles, now we just watch them on 24 hour television.

lyrics

Will ye go tae Flanders, my Mally-o?
Will ye go tae Flanders, my Mally-o?
There we'll get wine and brandy,
Sack and sugar candy,
Will ye go tae Flanders, my Mally-o?
Will ye go tae Flanders, my Mally-o?
Tae see the bonnie sodgers there, my Mally-o?
They'll gie us pipes tae blaw,
Coats o red an kilts sae braw
Aye the finest o them a', o my Mally-o.
Will ye go tae Flanders, my Mally-o?
Gin I tak the royal shillin there, my Mally-o?
Will ye tae a foreign shore?
For tae hear the cannons roar?
An the bloody shouts o war, o my Mally-o?
Will ye go tae Flanders, my Mally-o?
Alang wi a the Heilanders, my Mally-o?
Ye'll hear the captain call,
And ye'll see the sergeant crawl,
And the sodgers how they fall, o my Mally-o.
Will ye go tae Flanders, my Mally-o?
Tae see the chief commanders, my Mally-o?
Ye'll see the bullets fly,
And the sodgers how we die,
And the ladies loudly cry, o my Mally-o.

credits

from Bring out the Banners, released March 11, 2019
Trad/Billy Ross | Copyright – Billy Ross (verses two and three by Billy Ross) | Arranged – Paul Brown and Al Young | Guitar – Al Young |Vocals – Paul Brown

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Paul 'Bolshie' Brown Auckland, New Zealand

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