"Girls of France" is a World War I era song released in 1917. Al Bryan and Edgar Leslie wrote the lyrics. Harry Ruby composed the music.[1][2] The song was published by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co. of New York, New York. Artist Albert Wilfred Barbelle designed the sheet music cover. It features a nurse in the foreground, and soldiers marching behind her.[3] It was written for both voice and piano.[4][5]

"Girls of France"
Song
LanguageEnglish
Released1917
LabelWaterson, Berlin & Snyder, Co.
Songwriter(s)Composer: Harry Ruby
Lyricist: Al Bryan and Edgar Leslie

The lyrics claim that French girls were only thought of as "something to fondle and then to forget," but their actions during the war has proven this wrong. The chorus is as follows:[6]

Girls of France, girls of France,
We're mighty proud of you;
When shadows fell and all was dark
You led your sons like Joan of Arc.
We know our brothers will never fell blue,
They'll find a sister in each of you.
Brave and true,
Beautiful, too,
Wonderful girls of France.

The sheet music can be found at Pritzker Military Museum & Library.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Vogel (1995) p. 178 World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics (McFarland & Company, Inc.)
  2. ^ "Girls of France". University Library: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. University of Illinois. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  3. ^ Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music. Vol. 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7.
  4. ^ "Girls of France". JScholarship. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Girls of France". Library of Congress. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  6. ^ Vogel (1995) p. 315 World War I Song: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics (McFarland & Company, Inc.)
  7. ^ Girls of France. OCLC 17850481. Retrieved 3 March 2016 – via OCLC WorldCat.

Bibliography

  • Vogel, Frederick G. World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-89950-952-5