What happened at Jarama Valley?
Spain, July 1937
Hi all,
Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “Jarama Valley”, original lyrics by Alex McDade. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article.
Comments and questions are welcome. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEFL (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1.
You can read the background of the Spanish Civil War here. It is written at an Eiken 2, CEFR B1 level.
A brief summary of the Spanish Civil War
(234 words)
The Right (known as Nationalists or rebels) were armed and equipped by the countries of Germany and Italy. They were led by General Francisco Franco and were supported by wealthy landowners, industry, the Catholic Church, who all wanted to keep Spain’s traditional values, as well as the Falange (the official state political party during the Franco era).
The Left (known as Republicans), received support from the Soviet Union and somewhat by Mexico and France, which allowed arms to cross its border into Spain. The Republican troops were made up of workers, peasants (people who worked on the land), trade unionists, Socialists, Communists, Anarchists, and the International Brigade of volunteers from 53 countries around the world. At the beginning of the conflict, women were trained and fought together with male soldiers.
The war between the Nationalists and Republicans lasted for three years, from 1936 to 1939. Franco brought his soldiers up from the north of Africa and moved them through the country, while the Republicans fought to keep control of major cities.
Brother fighting against brother
There were soldiers from more than 50 countries who participated in the war - on both sides (see Viva la Quinta Brigada). One of the battles that was fought was in the valley of Jarama in February of 1937. At this battle, there were Irish volunteers fighting for the Republic and Irish volunteers fighting for the Nationalists, people from the same country, holding very different ideals, fighting each other.
The Song
(458 words)
The melody of the song is an old American folksong, Red River Valley. The original lyrics were a poem written by Alex McDade of the British Battalion which was part of the 15th International Brigade. McDade, who was from Glasgow, Scotland, was injured at Jarama and later died in Glasgow.
There’s a valley in Spain called Jarama,
That's a place that we all know so well,
for 'tis there that we wasted our manhood,
And most of our old age as well.
“Adieu” in French means “goodbye”. Here, McDade tells the Spanish people not to be too quick (hasten) to tell (bid) the foreign fighters goodbye because they will return soon.
From this valley they tell us we're leaving
But don't hasten to bid us adieu
For e'en (even) though we make our departure
We'll be back in an hour or two
Oh, we're proud of our British Battalion,
And the marathon record it's made,
Please do us this one little favour
And take this last word to Brigade:
"You will never be happy with strangers,
They would not understand you as we,
So remember the Jarama Valley
And the old men who wait patiently".
The later lyrics were adapted by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Lee Hays.
There's a valley in Spain called Jarama
Its a place that we all know so well
It was there that we fought against the fascists
We saw a peaceful valley turn to hell
.
From this valley they say we are going
But don't hasten to bid us adieu
Even though we lost the battle at Jarama
We'll set this valley free before we're through
The Lincoln Battalion
One of the groups that fought at the Battle of Jarama was the Lincoln Battalion. Originally, there were 2,800 Americans, including about 80 women, who volunteered to fight against Franco. They formed the Lincoln Battalion. These volunteers came from all kinds of background and occupations, from students to painters to lawyers. It was the first time that a black American, Oliver Law, commanded a battalion. Women were ambulance drivers, journalists, reporters, and nurses.
We were men of the Lincoln Battalion
We're proud of the fight that we made
We know that you people of the valley
Will remember our Lincoln Brigade
.
You will never find peace with these fascists
You'll never find friends such as we
So remember that valley of Jarama
And the people that'll set that valley free
.
All this world is like this valley called Jarama
So green and so bright and so fair
No fascists can dwell in our valley
Nor breathe in our new freedom's air
Jarama Valley is still sung at reunions of the families and friends of those who fought in the 15th Brigade in the Spanish Civil War.
Question
What similarities and differences can you find between the two versions of the song?
Vocabulary
Socialist 社会主義(者)
Communist 共産主義者
Anarchist 暴力的破壊者
bid us adieu 別れを告げる
Sung by Woody Guthrie. Lyrics in English and Catalan:
The following version is sung by Pete Seeger and the Almanac singers, from the album Almanac Singers: The Sea, The Soil And The Struggle (1941-1942).
Sources
The Battle of the Jarama River. International Brigade Memorial Trust. (2021, August 28). https://international-brigades.org.uk/education/the-battle-of-the-jarama-river/ . Accessed 3 April 2024.
Into the fire: American women in the Spanish Civil War. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. https://alba-valb.org/into-the-fire/ . Accessed 3 April 2024.
The Lincoln Brigade: A picture history. (2023, December 11). Zinn Education Project. https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/lincoln-brigade . Accessed 3 April 2024.
Thomas, H. (2012). The Spanish Civil War. Modern Library. Chapter 34.
For further information about and excellent photos of the area of the Battle of Jarama, see: https://madridnofrills.com/jarama/
Lyrics for the original version found at https://www.antiwarsongs.org/canzone.php?id=756&lang=en
