Bye Bye Braverman called him "The Joyce of Brighton Beach," suggesting by analogy a comparison between Markfield and this quintessentially Jewish neighborhood and the essential literary synergy between James Joyce and his native Dublin, but also suggesting other connections. The structure of Markfield's "To an Early Grave", and therefore of the movie based upon it, is to some extent a comic parallel of Joyce's novel "Ulysses", specifically "Episode 6" (which is commonly known as the "Hades" chapter) where protagonist Leopold Bloom and three friends travel in a carriage to attend the funeral of Patrick "Paddy" Dignam who has died in a drunken stupor.
When the Lilies Bloom in France Again a metaphor to assure listeners of hope and that everything will be restored at the end of the war. It also highlights a promise a soldier makes: "When the lilies bloom in France again," the soldier will return to his sweetheart. The song starts by describing lilies growing and birds singing in France. This scenery is now bare, but "the flowers will bloom again, That's a part of every soldier's vow." The chorus is as follows: When the Lilies Bloom in France Again "When the Lilies Bloom in France Again" is a World War I era song released in 1918.