The Glorious Land

Album: Let England Shake (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song opens with a minute-long introduction, before we hear a series of call and responses in which Harvey links war with our agricultural heritage. The singer told NME: "This album's not solely about war, it's about very many different things – it's the world we live in, and part of that is war."
  • The sleeve notes for Let England Shake tell us that both this song and "In The Dark Places" were partially inspired by extracts from Russian Folk Lyrics, a book containing rhymes used by village "wailers" after someone has died. One chapter of the collection contains lyrics concerning serving soldiers.
  • This, along with "Let England Shake," was used in the 2014 UK miniseries The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Strange Magnetics

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.