Play List for an Old Soldier | Sgt Mackenzie and The Pipes
I don’t know any of my Soldier friends that don’t like the lilting strains of the Bagpipes. Whether or not it’s the call to arms, a march for parade, or the songs we are laid to rest with. The tone seems to take some of the strain off of the old ruck, and lift your feet a little higher and with ….(ah whats the word here)…Determination I think. I can imagine the line shoulder to shoulder with sword, lance, or bayonet and the pipes bringing fear to those who would oppose us. I can (and have) listened to them pipe the spirit of a brave comrades (and indeed my Zena) home to God and I can think of no more beautiful way to do so. So here I share some of my favorites; one in particular is Sgt MacKenzie. So if you listen to only one, then I suggest it be that one.
I hope you enjoy these selections…
Bluebells of Scotland / Home of the Brave
Sgt MacKenzie
The quote below is posted on You Tube, and further research confirmed its accuracy. One of the things that endears me to this song is the spirit of the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), for here was a brother Sergeant doing what sergeants do.
“Joseph MacKenzie wrote the haunting lament after the death of his wife, Christine, and in memory of his great-grandfather, Charles Stuart MacKenzie, a sergeant in the Seaforth Highlanders, who along with hundreds of his brothers-in-arms from the Elgin-Rothes area in Moray, Scotland went to fight in the Great War (WW1). Sergeant MacKenzie was bayoneted to death at the age of 35, while defending one of his badly injured fellow soldiers in the hand-to-hand fighting of the trenches.”
Sgt MacKenzie
When the Battle is Over
The lyrics are the timeless thoughts of battles fought and
When the Battle's Over
I returned to the fields of glory,
Where the green grasses and flowers grow.
And the wind softly tells the story,
Of the brave lads of long ago.
Chorus:
March no more my soldier laddie,
There is peace where there once was war.
Sleep in peace my soldier laddie,
Sleep in peace, now the battle's over.
In the great glen they lay a sleeping,
Where the cool waters gently flow.
And the gray mist is sadly weeping,
For those brave lads of long ago.
Chorus
March no more my soldier laddie,
There is peace where there once was war.
Sleep in peace my soldier laddie,
Sleep in peace, now the battle's over.
See the tall grass is there awaiting,
As their banners of long ago.
With their heads high forward threading,
Stepping lightly to meet the foe.
Chorus
March no more my soldier laddie,
There is peace where there once was war.
Sleep in peace my soldier laddie,
Sleep in peace, now the battle's over.
Some return from the fields of glory,
To their loved ones who held them dear.
But some fell in that hour of glory,
And were left to their resting here.
Chorus
March no more my soldier laddie,
There is peace where there once was war.
Sleep in peace my soldier laddie,
Sleep in peace, now the battle's over.
When The Battle Is Over
Going Home
This is the song the Piper plays before the Funeral starts to call those to mourn and honor another brave heart going to rest.
Going Home
Amazing Grace
So many artists have sung this song and done it well, but for me there is just no comparison to both the emotion and comfort the song and the tune brings to mind. As though every note lifts the thought out of your soul and delivers it to God so he knows before you get there one of his soldiers is coming home.
Amazing Grace
I hope you enjoyed this Hub, comments are welcome below. Thanks for stopping by.