| First Published | 1887 |
| Writer/composer | Felix McGlennon | Roud | RN1494 |
| Music Hall Performers | Tom Costello |
| Folk performances | Collected from the singing of: Turple, Jack; Canada : Nova Scotia : 1952 Hart, Bob; England : Suffolk : Snape 1969 Ramsden, David V.W.; England : Yorkshire : 1972 Brennan, Caroline (Mrs.), Canada : Newfoundland : 1978 |
We from childhood played together My dear comrade Jack and I We would fight each other's battles To each other's aid we'd fly And in boyish scrapes and troubles You would find us everywhere Where one went the other followed Naught would part us for we were Comrades, comrades, ever since we were boys Sharing each other's sorrows Sharing each other's joys Comrades when manhood was dawning Faithful what e'er may betide When danger threatened, My darling old comrade was there by my side When just budding into manhood I yearned for a soldier's life Night and day I dreamed of glory Longing for the battle's strife I said “Jack I'll be a soldier ‘Neath the red, the white, and blue Good bye Jack” said he “No never If you go, then, I'll go too” We were I enlisted, Jack came with me And ups and downs we shared For a time our lives were peaceful But at length, war was declared England's flag had been insulted We were ordered to the front And the regiment we belonged to Had to bear the battle's brunt. We were In the night the foe came over And we went for them like hell It was rifle butt and bayonet And we drove them back pell-mell There was one chap got me cornered I was helpless, wounded sore It was jack that sprang between us And my pal was mine no more. We were
The second half of the 19th century saw Britain fighting a series of brutal wars to defend its empire. The army was professional rather than conscripted and enlistment was often a way of escaping poverty at home. Many working and lower-middle-class families would be familiar with the experience of a loved one fighting and dying far away, and this in part explains the popularity of this type of sentimental song, both in the Halls and respectable middle-class parlours.
Tom Costello heard Comrades whilst visiting the US and first sang it on the British stage in 1890. He continued to sing it on stage right up until the 1930s when he toured with his show Veteran Stars of Variety.
Comrades was written by Felix McGlennon, it was widely published in both official and unofficial publications on both sides of the Atlantic. It was collected from traditional singers in the second half of the 20th century.
Costello sings it:
Sources:
- VWML entry
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics: monologues.co.uk
- Sheet Music: 60 Old Time Variety Songs
- Sheet Music Cover (c)Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Richard Baker British Music Hall
- Tim Blanning The triumph of music (2008)
Last Updated on April 26, 2022 by John Baxter | Published: September 12, 2021
