Veteran Canadian singer/songwriter Mike Plume has always written about life, love, loss and legacy in a way that is compelling, genuine and eminently memorable.
A few years ago, he finally got around to writing a deeply personal and darkly poetic song about the sacrifices so many young Canadians have made in times of war – using the example of his great uncle, Harold Joyce, as the primary inspiration for what would become ‘On Remembrance Day.’
Joyce was 21 years old, when he was killed in action during the Battle of Arras on Aug. 30, 1918 – tragically just a little over two months from the end of the First World War. Joyce’s family in Ontario had possession of many personal effects of Joyce for decades, including the letter from his commanding officer sent home on the occasion of his death, outlining the circumstances of his passing and testifying to the respect and affection he was held by his fellow soldiers. On the 100th Anniversary of his death they were donated to his hometown museum in New Brunswick. The song had already been written, but its poignancy was driven home when he finally got to see some of the artifacts first hand.
Plume said throughout his life he knew bits and pieces of the story, as told by his grandmother, Harold’s sister. But it was when his grandmother compiled a family history that the scope of Harold Joyce’s story came to truly tweak Plume’s artistic sensibilities.
“About 20 years ago, my grandmother wrote a little book about the Joyce family. She probably printed 20 copies for her kids, grandkids and anyone who would want one. I have two copies. In her book she tells the story of her and family finding out about Harold dying. Even though it was written about 80 years after the fact, it’s really powerful,” he said, adding that she lived to be 101.
”I’d pondered the idea of writing a song about him for maybe 10 years. By ‘pondered’ I mean I put no more thought in to it than thinking, ‘I should write a song about him.’ I wrote the song back in 2013, long before I’d heard about any of these artifacts. I had, however, read my grandmother’s book. About ten years ago, I got onto a serious Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem kick. I loved all of their albums from the late 1950s and early 1960s. I especially loved all of the ‘Rebel’ songs that they sung. One song in particular was ‘Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye,’ which is the same melody as ‘The Ants Go Marching.’ It’s so dark. It’s so real.
“One day in October 2013 I started playing an A minor chord, and for whatever reason, I decided that I would try to write a song for my great uncle Harold Joyce. I went and dug out my grandmother’s book that she wrote and opened it up to the section she wrote about her brother. But I failed miserably. It felt like paint by numbers. So, I just kept stripping the song further back and back and back. I decided that instead of making it a song about one soldier in particular, I tried to make it about every soldier in general. I tried to leave it open. I wanted it to ring true to our soldiers today as well.”
Although he initially only played the song at shows in and around Remembrance Day, it has become a much-requested part of his repertoire, and a song he believes has a universal message all year round, but with added meaning in the days leading up to November 11.
“I would like my grandkids to tell their grandkids that their great-greet-grandfather wrote that song that they sing every Remembrance Day. But if the song can make someone stop for a second and think, ‘man, these men and women truly did sacrifice…’ that would make me happy,” he said.
“Basically, in a nutshell, what I’m trying to say is already in the lyrics of the song, “We must help our children to understand…”
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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