"Keep the Home-Fires Burning (Till the Boys Come Home)" is a British patriotic
First World Warsong composed in 1914 by
Ivor Novello with words by
Lena Guilbert Ford (whose middle name was sometimes printed as "Gilbert").[1]
The song was published first as "'Till the Boys Come Home" on 8 October 1914 by Ascherberg, Hopwood and Crew Ltd. in London.[2]
A new edition was printed in 1915 with the name "Keep the Home-Fires Burning".[2] The song became very popular in the United Kingdom during the war, along with "
It's a Long Way to Tipperary".[citation needed]
James F. Harrison recorded "Keep the Home-Fires Burning" in 1915, as did
Stanley Kirkby in 1916. Another popular recording was sung by tenor
John McCormack in 1917, who was also the first to record "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" in 1914. (See
External links below to hear these recordings of "Keep the Home-Fires Burning".) Other versions include one by
Frederick J. Wheeler and one by the duet Reed Miller & Frederick Wheeler.[3]
The lyricist Lena Ford was killed in March 1918 during a
German air raid on her home in
Warrington Crescent in
Maida Vale.[4] There is a misconception that Ivor Novello's mother wrote the lyrics for the song (propagated—for example—by patter in recorded performances of British musical comedy duo
Hinge and Bracket) but Lena Ford (an American) was a friend and collaborator of Novello, not a blood relation.[citation needed]
The song is heard playing in the background of the train station scene in Episode 4 of the fourth season of the British drama Upstairs Downstairs. The episode is called "Women Shall Not Weep". The scene sees the character of Edward (footman) saying farewell to his new wife Daisy (housemaid) at the railway station, as he departs for the trenches in France in 1915.[6]
In the 2002 film Gosford Park, the guests at a country house are entertained by Novello (played by
Jeremy Northam), who performs the song on the piano.
In the film Johnny Got His Gun when the characters are celebrating a Christmas party; this clip was later used at the end of
Metallica's music video, "
One".
Ford, Lena Guilbert (w.); Novello, Ivor (m.). "Keep the Home-Fires Burning ('Till the Boys Come Home)"(Sheet music). New York: Chappell & Co. Ltd. (1915).