# WWI 1915 Christmas truce song id?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 21, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683 "2012-12-21T00:38:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683/1 "2012-12-21T00:38:53Z")

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[It’s not this one](http://www.slack-time.com/music-video-5025-Celtic-Thunder-Christmas-1915), rendered here by Celtic Thunder. It’s completely different. I think the narrator of the song refers to the Germans collectively as “Jerry” and the Brits as “Tommy,” if that’s a clue.

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683/2 "2012-12-21T02:39:23Z")

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[This one?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbhzqoYYROA)

Maybe not. Nobody talking about Jerries and Tommies. Definitely references the Christmas Truce, though.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683/3 "2012-12-21T03:25:47Z")

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Don’t think so. And it might have mentioned Fritz, instead of Jerry. But who knows?

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683/4 "2012-12-21T04:31:09Z")

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[Christmas 1914](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujJD122Yd9U) by Mike Harding.

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**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683/5 "2012-12-21T05:07:50Z")

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The song in the OP A Silent Night (Christmas 1915) written by Cormac MacConnell has always bugged me. It’s a lovely song but why did he sing 1915 and not 1914? I’m assuming it was out of ignorance rather than for stylistic reasons.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683/6 "2012-12-21T14:03:54Z")

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> [@Gary\_T](#):
>
> [Christmas 1914](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujJD122Yd9U) by Mike Harding.

Thank you!

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**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-1915-christmas-truce-song-id/644683/7 "2012-12-24T08:41:25Z")

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So not [Paul McCartney](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ErrZ-ipoE), then.