Everyone knows that “it’s a long way to go for Tipperary, it’s a long way to go.” But how did the distance to this Irish city (or county) become the subject of one of the most popular Irish soldier songs of all time?
The iconic and catchy song seems to have a straightforward title, but there are actually a lot of questions as to why it’s so far from Tipperary. Like: where was the distance measured from? And does it have any Irish connection? One might think that Tipperary is a very special place, after all, even Johnny Cash was mourning the girl he left in Tipperary Town (in “40 Shades of Green”, not to be confused with “Fifty Shades of Gray” or “sixty network shadows «). The story of the famous song turns out to be a bit more important than it sounds.
Gambling man
As far as we know, the song name and the lyrics can come together by accident. It could well have been the road to Caerphilly or Glasgow City because Tipperary was chosen by chance. The song was written by Jack Judge and Harry Williams as a music hall and marching song in 1912.
Legend has it that Judge accepted (and subsequently won) a bet that he couldn’t write a hit song overnight. So he wrote ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’, taking its name from what was then an obscure Irish town (or county) that someone had mentioned from time to time. The simple structure and few words of the chorus that made it easy to sing (or at least) hum were an instant hit.
In 1914, the marching columns of Connaught Rangers made the song known and popular first in the British Army, then throughout the Western Front. Daily Mail correspondent George Curnock, he witnessed the Irish soldiers marching and singing in Boulogne on 13 August 1914, reporting that shortly thereafter.
“It’s a long way to Tipperary” soon became the definitive song of the Great War and immortal (unlike most of the soldiers who sang it). His popularity remains strong and he has appeared in contexts as diverse as the musical “Oh What a Lovely War,” the animated “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” and the movie “Das Boot.”
A long way from Tipperary to where?
The chorus makes it clear with “Bye Piccadilly, Bye Leicester Square!” In fact, it is a long way from Tipperary to London, England, and nowhere else. And while he was associated with the soldiers, the song was not written with army life in mind (or with allusions to military service). The lyrics of the song are about the feeling of homesickness experienced by Irish expats in the British capital, sailors and workers. In fact, in 1912 the road from London to Tipperary was long by any means.
However, there are several persistent attempts to make the ‘long road to Tipperary’ more local meaning. One such attempt involves the distance between the town of Tipperary and the nearest train station. While this might have given the song some poignant meaning to the locals and the soldiers staying there, the London references make it a far-fetched explanation with no real basis in fact. Not to mention that the song only refers to Tipperary, a large county, not specifically to the city of Tipperary.
Still fighting
The tune to “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” has been used for several other songs. Among these are “Every True Son,” a wrestling song for the University of Missouri (Columbia), and the “Mighty Oregon” from the University of Oregon.
The lyrics to “It’s a long way to Tipperary”
Chorus
It’s a long way to Tipperary
It’s a long, long way to go
It’s a long way to Tipperary
For the sweetest girl I know.
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square.
It’s a long way to Tipperary
But my heart lies there
Even mighty London came
an Irish boy one day,
all the streets were paved with gold,
so they were all gay!
Singing Piccadilly songs
Strand and Leicester Square,
‘Til Paddy got excited and told them
shouted there:
Choir
Paddy wrote a letter
to his Irishman Molly O ‘,
saying, “If you don’t get it,
write me and let me know!
If I make spelling mistakes,
Molly dear, “he said:
«Remember that it is the pen, that is bad,
Don Don’t blame me.
Choir
Molly wrote a neat answer
to Irish Paddy O ‘,
saying, “Mike Maloney wants
marry me so
leave Strand and Piccadilly,
or you will be to blame,
because love has made me quite foolish,
hoping you are the same! »
Choir
Enthusiastic surrenders
Perhaps the best known modern version of the song (using an old recording, however) is from the movie “Das Boot”. As for singing in a submarine, this could only be surpassed by the underwater truckers in “The Abyss,” and the Soviet crew in “The Hunt for Red October.”
