The Music of

World War 1

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Webquest Activity

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Name: _________________________________ Date: ________
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WWI Through Songs
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Studying a historical event through songs and music can provide an honest look into the past at how a
people were affected by, or perceived, an event, in this case World War 1. Alternately, songs can also be used as
propaganda. This activity will allow you to see the variety of points of view represented about World War I
through songs written at the time.
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First, you will do some prediction work. Then, individually or with a partner, you will look up and read/
listen to the lyrics to some of the songs and answer the subsequent questions. We will lastly discuss how
accurate each song’s predictions were and why there may have been disparities between predictions and lyrics.
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Before you read any of these lyrics, write down your prediction of the following for each song:

a. the point of view being represented (a child on the home front, a woman overseas, a woman
on the home front, a soldier back at home, a soldier at war, a soldier lamenting his situation, a
soldier about to go to war, an enthusiastic soldier, a mother, a father, a soldier who has died, a
civilian witnessing fighting, or any other point of view you believe to be the case)
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b. the country the song came from (America, Britain, Germany, France, or another one)
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c. what feelings or emotions are intended to be evoked from the song
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d. when during the war did the song come out (start (before the Christmas Truce), middle, end)
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e. topic/message of the song
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Songs
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1. Just Like Washington Crossed the Delaware, General Pershing Will Cross the Rhine
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2. My Belgian Rose
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3. Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
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4. After the War is Over
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5. Oh How I Wish I Could Sleep Until My Daddy Comes Home
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6. Christmas in the Trenches
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7. The Tanks that Broke the Ranks out in Picardy
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8. Tell That to the Marines
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9. I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier
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10. If He Can Fight Like He Can Love, Goodnight Germany
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11. We are the First Brigade
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12. You’re in the Army Now
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13. Keep the Home Fires Burning
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14. Noel des Enfants
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15. I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now
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16. Old Gallipoli’s a Wonderful Place
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17. Where are Our Uniforms
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18. Bombed Last Night
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Name: _________________________________ Date: ________
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Questions
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1. What can you learn about WWI through these songs that you (typically) don’t learn from textbooks?
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2. Pick two songs you think are an honest reflection of wartime events and two you think are more likely to be
propaganda, and explain why for both (including explaining what type of propaganda and point of view you
think they reflect).
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3. How did the message of, and emotions behind, the songs change as the war progressed? Was it different for
Britain and America than it was for Germany and if so why?
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4. Are songs used to convey messages or recount events today? Why or why not? If yes, explain how, and
provide an example.

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Lyrics and Song Information Can Listened to or Read At:
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http://www.ww1photos.com/WW1MusicIndex.html

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http://www.allmusic.com/album/songs-of-wwi-from-original-recordings-1914-1926-mw0001124979
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http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/ww1-songs/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_of_World_War_I
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http://parlorsongs.com/issues/2004-4/thismonth/feature.php
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http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/wwi-radio.php
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http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/nov/07/the-10-best-first-world-war-music
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http://www.melodylane.net/ww1.htm
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http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/1914.htm
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https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/gramophone/028011-3002-e.html
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