Radiohead have released a download-only new track “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” a tribute to the last surviving World War 1 veteran who will be buried on Thursday (August 6).
Thom Yorke wrote the song after being inspired by an Today programme interview Patch gave in 2005.
You can download the new track here at radiohead.com (all profits go to the British Legion) or you can listen to a stream of it here on the Radio 4 website
Writing on their website, Yorke says: “The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me. It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death.
It was done live in an abbey. The strings were arranged by Jonny. I very much hope the song does justice to his memory as the last survivor.”
He adds: “It would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us. I hope we do not forget. As Harry himself said ‘Irrespective of the uniforms we wore, we were all victims’.”
Harry Patch (In Memory Of):
I am the only one that got through
The others died where ever they fell
It was an ambush
They came up from all sides
Give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves
I’ve seen devils coming up from the ground
I’ve seen hell upon this earth
The next will be chemical but they will never learn
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Pic credit: PA Photos