Garth Dutton

Nineteen Forty Five – A Song

This song “Nineteen Forty Five” was written for the 50th Anniversary of the ending of World War 2, but I ran into problems with the music for it. The verses were in 6/4 time. (Fleetwood Mac’s song ‘Go Your Own Way’ is also in 6/4.) But I couldn’t find a related time signature for the ‘bridge’ about the TV program, so missed the occasion.

Some years later, I tried singing the verses in 4/4 time and I immediately found that 12/8 time suited the bridge perfectly. (The Beatles song ‘You’ve got to hide your love away’ is in 12/8 time.) But unfortunately the song proved unsuitable for the 60th Anniversary in 2005, because all the main celebrations were held in Moscow.

Oh well. I recorded the song on my 2006 CD “Long Weekend 2″ which I will write about some other day.

Nineteen Forty Five
© Garth Dutton 1995
    
The British Empire was over and done,           
but its image lingered on.
Some people thought it was still alive,
in Nineteen Forty-five.
In Nineteen Forty-five.

Hitler died on April’s last day.
to avoid the 1st of May.
His Thousand Year Reich in ruins lies,
in Nineteen Forty-five.
In Nineteen Forty-five.

But in Europe’s east, there was no dawn,       
though Hitler’s armies had all now gone.
For victory, such a price to pay.
It now was Stalin’s day.
It now was Stalin’s day.

It was a TV program about  ‘Civilization’.       
Sir Peter Ustinov did the narration.
Europe in chaos, destruction, despair…
Images so real I felt I was there.

Amongst the homeless refugees       
and the cast-out expellees,
I too thank God to have even survived
in Nineteen Forty-five.
In Nineteen Forty-five,

The winter snows turn the ruins white         
and the bombed-out cities come back to life,
while America and Russia the world divide,
in Nineteen Forty-five.
In Nineteen Forty-five.
In Nineteen Forty-five.
In Nineteen Forty-five.

Tags: garth dutton, Lyrics, Music, songwriter, songwriting, ww2

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