The final programme of music resources linking to World War 1. The medley of contemporary songs includes 'Over there' and 'Home! Sweet home!' while the original song to learn - 'Can you, can you remember?' - invites the singers to reflect on the War and its enormous cost in human lives. The backing tracks for the songs are available as downloads from these pages and from the Sound Resources programme, where you'll also find sound effects sequences which can be used to enhance your staging of the play 'Archie Dobson's War'.
Music - Part 3: Can you, can you remember?
Before the programme
Discuss how the third music programme moves from the turning point of World War 1 to its aftermath, exploring ways we might learn from the events and ‘remember’ them. Ask the children if any of their families (or local people, or museums, etc) have any items they could loan (eg photographs, copies of letters, poems, documents, etc), which might help to share memories across the generations, back to a hundred years ago and into the future.
Summary
Facts and figures
Against a background of trenchwar sounds, we hear of the ninemillion soldiers who died, twentymillion soldiers who were wounded and of the twenty million plus other people who lost their lives as a direct result of World War 1.
‘End in sight?’ medley A
Remember and sing the simple words to ‘We’re here because we’re here’, set to the tune of the famous ‘Auld lang syne’.
‘End in sight?’ medley’ B
Listen to and copy two lines at a time of ‘Over there’, a lively American patriotic song, written to motivate American troops in 1917.
‘End in sight?’ medley’ C
Hum the first part of the famous ‘Home! Sweet home’, then join in the easy words for the last three lines.
Bugle calls
Listen to part of the ‘Last Post’ (based on a slow, quiet bugle call) heard at Remembrance Day each year – giving a chance to reflect on lost lives and space to think.
'Can you, can you remember?' – verse 1 and chorus
Learn to sing the music in sections, beginning with a quiet, reflective ‘rising-fifth’ like the Last Post (line 1), then shifting this up in pitch (line 2), then with pauses on the words ‘singing’ and ‘ringing’ (lines 3-4), then with a tune falling and rising like pealing bells (lines 5-6, the chorus).
'Can you, can you remember?' – verse 2 and chorus
Sing with controlled emotion in the voice, to reflect the words’ focus on anger, pain and fear and the questions in the chorus.
'Can you, can you remember?' – verse 3 and chorus
Sing with warmth and softness in the voice.
'Can you, can you remember?' – verse 4, chorus and coda
The ‘coda’ (extra endsection) is just the same as the first line sung slowly and thoughtfully and with a long pause on the last note. Verse 4 is a chance to reflect on how memories can be shared across the generations.
‘End in sight?’ medley performance
Perform ‘We’re here because we’re here’, ‘Over there’ and ‘Home! Sweet home’, joined together.
'Can you, can you remember?' – whole song
Perform the whole song, remembering the pauses on ‘singing’ and ‘ringing’ (verse 1), controlled emotion (verse 2), warmth and softness (verse 3), quiet reflection (verse 4) and the long pause on the last note (coda).
Clips
Medley: 'End in sight?' (vocal)
We're here because we're here
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here.
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here.
Over there!
Over there
Over there
Send the word, send the word
Over there
That the Yanks are coming
The Yanks are coming
The drums rum-tumming everywhere!
So prepare
Say a prayer
Send the word, send the word
To beware
We'll be over
We're coming over
And we won't come back
Till it's over, over there!
Home sweet home
(Humming)
There's no place like home,
There's no place like home.
Home! Home! Home, sweet home!
There's no place like home,
There's no place like home.
Medley: 'End in sight?' (backing track)
We're here because we're here
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here.
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here
We're here because we're here
because we're here, because we're here.
Over there!
Over there
Over there
Send the word, send the word
Over there
That the Yanks are coming
The Yanks are coming
The drums rum-tumming everywhere!
So prepare
Say a prayer
Send the word, send the word
To beware
We'll be over
We're coming over
And we won't come back
Till it's over, over there!
Home sweet home
(Humming)
There's no place like home,
There's no place like home.
Home! Home! Home, sweet home!
There's no place like home,
There's no place like home.
'Can you, can you remember?' - Vocal version
Can you, can you remember,
A time, a time of wheatfields?
Think back, to skylarks singing,
To when the bells were ringing…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember,
A time, a time of anger?
Think back, to pain and fear
Young lives cut short each year…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember,
A time, a time of friendship?
Thinking, to help recover…
Thinking, to help each other…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember,
Across the generations?
Think back and share each memory
Reach hands across a century…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember…?
'Can you, can you remember?' - Backing track
Can you, can you remember,
A time, a time of wheatfields?
Think back, to skylarks singing,
To when the bells were ringing…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember,
A time, a time of anger?
Think back, to pain and fear
Young lives cut short each year…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember,
A time, a time of friendship?
Thinking, to help recover…
Thinking, to help each other…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember,
Across the generations?
Think back and share each memory
Reach hands across a century…
And ask the questions – who, what, how and why,
And where and when so many had to die?
Can you, can you remember…?
Resources
Teachers' notes document
Complete guidance notes for the WW1 Performance Pack music, dance and drama programmes
Archie Dobson's War - The Playscript. document
The script of 'Archie Dobson's War' to read online, print or download.
Music cues and SFX. audio
Download all the music cues and sound effects for the play as a zip file (52 MB)
- Music Resources 3
- Download (mp3) the backing track for 'Can you, can you remember?'
- Download / print (pdf) the song sheet for 'Can you, can you remember?'
- Download / print (pdf) the music for 'Can you, can you remember?'
- Download (mp3) the backing track for 'Medley mix 4'
- Download / print (pdf) the song sheet for 'Medley mix 4 - End in sight?'
- Download / print (pdf) the music for 'Medley mix 4 - End in sight?'
More from this series
Music - Part 1: Listen to the fields. audio
Music resources linking to World War 1. Including a medley of songs and an original song.
Music - Part 2: Stuck, stuck in the middle. audio
The second programme of music resources linking to World War 1
Dance - Part 1: Countdown to war. audio
Dance resources linking to World War 1. The dance activities in this programme contrast 'town' and 'country' in the summer of 1914 and build towards parade ground drills.
