Lyrics:
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Washed my sins away (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When my Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
He taught me how (oh, He taught me how)
To wash (to wash, to wash)
Fight and pray (to fight and pray)
Fight and pray
And he taught me how to live rejoicing yes, He did (and live rejoicing)
Oh yeah, every, every day (every, every day)
Every day!
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day, yeah (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When my Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
My sins away (oh happy day)
I'm talking about that happy day (oh happy day)
He taught me how (oh yeah, how)
To wash (to wash)
Fight and pray (sing it, sing it, c'mon and sing it)
Fight and pray
And to live, yeah, yeah, c'mon everybody (and live rejoicing every, every day)
Sing it like you mean it, oh....
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
I'm talking about the happy days (oh happy day)
C'mon and talk about the happy days (oh happy day)
Oh, oh, oh happy days (oh happy day)
Ooh talking about happy day (oh happy day)
Oh yeah, I know I'm talking about happy days (oh happy day)
Oh yeah, sing it, sing it, sing it, yeah, yeah (oh happy day)
Oh, oh, oh
Oh happy day!
Click Here for video.
Source: youtube.com
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Miss Lucy Long
"Miss Lucy Long", also known as "Lucy Long" and other variants, is an American song that was popularized in the blackface minstrel show. A comic banjo tune, the lyrics, written in exaggerated Black Vernacular English, tell of the courtship or marriage of the male singer and the title character. The song is highly misogynistic;
the male character dominates Lucy and continues his sexually
promiscuous lifestyle despite his relationship with her. "Miss Lucy
Long" thus satirizes black concepts of beauty and courtship and American views of marriage in general.
After its introduction to the stage by the Virginia Minstrels in 1843, "Miss Lucy Long" was adopted by rival troupes. George Christy's cross-dressed interpretation standardized the portrayal of the title character and made the song a hit in the United States. "Miss Lucy Long" became the standard closing number for the minstrel show, where it was regularly expanded into a comic skit complete with dialogue. Versions were printed in more songsters and performed in more minstrel shows than any other popular song in the antebellum period. In blackface minstrelsy, the name Lucy came to signify any sexually promiscuous pervert.
Compare this later recorded version by Joe Ayers:
For nineteenth-century audiences, the comedy of "Lucy Long" came from several different quarters. Eric Lott argues that race is paramount. The lyrics are in an exaggerated form of Black Vernacular English, and the degrading and racist depictions of Lucy—often described as having "huge feet" or "corncob teeth"—make the male singer the butt of the joke for desiring someone whom white audiences would find so unattractive.
However, in many variants, Lucy is desirable—tall, with good teeth and "winning eyes". Musicologist William J. Mahar thus argues that, while the song does address race, its misogyny is in fact more important. "Miss Lucy Long" is a "'public expressions of male resentment toward a spouse or lover who will not be subservient, a woman's indecision, and the real or imagined constraints placed on male behaviors by law, custom, and religion." The song reaffirms a man's supposed right to sexual freedom and satirizes courtship and marriage. Still, the fact that the minstrel on stage would desire someone the audience knew to be another man was a source of comic dramatic irony.
The refrain is simple:
The verse makes Lucy out to be a "sexual aggressor who prefers 'tarrying' (casual sex, we may infer) to marrying . . . ." The singer for his part seems to be in agreement with the notion. Thus, Lucy is in some way in charge of their relationship. Of course, audiences could easily take "tarry" as either a sexual reference or an indication of a prim and reserved Lucy Long.
However, other verses put the power back in the male's hands. For example, this verse makes Lucy no better than a traded commodity:
"Miss Lucy Long and Her Answer", a version published in 1843 by the Charles H. Keith company of Boston, Massachusetts, separates the song into four stanzas from the point of view of Lucy's lover and four from Lucy herself. She ultimately shuns "de gemman Dat wrote dat little song, Who dare to make so public De name ob Lucy Long" and claims to prefer "De 'stinguished Jimmy Crow."
Nevertheless, the tune is well-suited to embellishment and improvisation. The verses and refrain use almost identical music, which enabled troupes to vary the verse/chorus structure and to add play-like segments. A repeated couplet binds the piece together and gives it a musical center around which these embellishments can occur.
Minstrels usually performed the song as part of a sketch in which one minstrel cross dressed to play Lucy Long. The blackface players danced and sang with regular interruptions of comic dialogue. The part of Lucy was probably not a speaking role and relied entirely on pantomime.
For example, in 1846, Dan Emmett and Frank Brower added these lines to a "Miss Lucy Long" sketch:
[Dialogue.]
FRANK She had a ticklar gagement to go to camp me[e]tin wid dis child.
DAN hah! You went down to de fish Market to daunce arter eels. mity cureous kind ob camp meetin dat!
FRANK I[t] wasn't eels, it was a big cat fish.
DAN What chune did you dance?
Chorus [both singing].
FRANK I trade her off for bean soup.
DAN Well, you is hungryest n#$$@# eber I saw. You'r neber satisfied widout your tinken bout bean soup all de time.
Chorus [both singing].
Despite predating the minstrel show, "Miss Lucy Long" gained its fame there. The song was the first wench role in minstrelsy. The Virginia Minstrels performed it as their closing number from their earliest performances. Dan Gardner introduced what would become the standard Lucy Long costume, skirts and pantalettes. George Christy's interpretation for the Christy Minstrels became the standard for other troupes to follow. The New York Clipper ignored Gardner completely and wrote "George [Christy] was the first to do the wench business; he was the original Lucy Long."
By 1845, the song had become the standard minstrel show closing number, and it remained so through the antebellum period. Programs regularly ended with the note that "The concert will conclude with the Boston Favorite Extravaganza of LUCY LONG." The name Lucy came to signify a woman who was "sexy, somewhat grotesque, and of suspect virtue" in minstrelsy. Similar songs appeared, including "Lucy Neal".
In the late 1920's, a dance called the Sally Long became popular; the name may derive from the minstrel song.
Musicologist Robert B. Winans found versions of "Miss Lucy Long" in 34% of minstrel show programs he examined from the 1843–52 period and in 55% from 1843–47, more than any other song. Mahar's research found that "Miss Lucy Long" is the second most frequent song in popular songsters from this period, behind only "Mary Blane". The song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity from 1855–60, when minstrelsy entered a nostalgic phase under some companies.
There is also reference to "Miss Lucy Long" in Bobby Darin's version of the song "Mack the Knife" by Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill, from their play "The Threepenny Opera".
Source: Wikipedia
After its introduction to the stage by the Virginia Minstrels in 1843, "Miss Lucy Long" was adopted by rival troupes. George Christy's cross-dressed interpretation standardized the portrayal of the title character and made the song a hit in the United States. "Miss Lucy Long" became the standard closing number for the minstrel show, where it was regularly expanded into a comic skit complete with dialogue. Versions were printed in more songsters and performed in more minstrel shows than any other popular song in the antebellum period. In blackface minstrelsy, the name Lucy came to signify any sexually promiscuous pervert.
Lyrics:
Many different "Miss Lucy Long" texts are known. They all feature a male singer who describes his desire for the title character. In the style of many folk song narratives, most versions begin with the singer's introduction:Compare this later recorded version by Joe Ayers:
For nineteenth-century audiences, the comedy of "Lucy Long" came from several different quarters. Eric Lott argues that race is paramount. The lyrics are in an exaggerated form of Black Vernacular English, and the degrading and racist depictions of Lucy—often described as having "huge feet" or "corncob teeth"—make the male singer the butt of the joke for desiring someone whom white audiences would find so unattractive.
However, in many variants, Lucy is desirable—tall, with good teeth and "winning eyes". Musicologist William J. Mahar thus argues that, while the song does address race, its misogyny is in fact more important. "Miss Lucy Long" is a "'public expressions of male resentment toward a spouse or lover who will not be subservient, a woman's indecision, and the real or imagined constraints placed on male behaviors by law, custom, and religion." The song reaffirms a man's supposed right to sexual freedom and satirizes courtship and marriage. Still, the fact that the minstrel on stage would desire someone the audience knew to be another man was a source of comic dramatic irony.
The refrain is simple:
- Oh! Take your time Miss Lucy,
- Take your time Miss Lucy Long!
- Oh! Take your time Miss Lucy,
- Take your time Miss Lucy Long!
The verse makes Lucy out to be a "sexual aggressor who prefers 'tarrying' (casual sex, we may infer) to marrying . . . ." The singer for his part seems to be in agreement with the notion. Thus, Lucy is in some way in charge of their relationship. Of course, audiences could easily take "tarry" as either a sexual reference or an indication of a prim and reserved Lucy Long.
However, other verses put the power back in the male's hands. For example, this verse makes Lucy no better than a traded commodity:
- If she makes a scolding wife,
- As sure as she was born,
- I'll tote her down to Georgia,
- And trade her off for corn.
- And now that we are married,
- I expect to have some fun,
- And if Lucy doesn't mind me,
- This fellow will cut and run.
"Miss Lucy Long and Her Answer", a version published in 1843 by the Charles H. Keith company of Boston, Massachusetts, separates the song into four stanzas from the point of view of Lucy's lover and four from Lucy herself. She ultimately shuns "de gemman Dat wrote dat little song, Who dare to make so public De name ob Lucy Long" and claims to prefer "De 'stinguished Jimmy Crow."
Structure and performance:
"Miss Lucy Long" is a comic banjo tune, and there is little melodic variation between published versions.Nevertheless, the tune is well-suited to embellishment and improvisation. The verses and refrain use almost identical music, which enabled troupes to vary the verse/chorus structure and to add play-like segments. A repeated couplet binds the piece together and gives it a musical center around which these embellishments can occur.
Minstrels usually performed the song as part of a sketch in which one minstrel cross dressed to play Lucy Long. The blackface players danced and sang with regular interruptions of comic dialogue. The part of Lucy was probably not a speaking role and relied entirely on pantomime.
For example, in 1846, Dan Emmett and Frank Brower added these lines to a "Miss Lucy Long" sketch:
[Dialogue.]
FRANK She had a ticklar gagement to go to camp me[e]tin wid dis child.
DAN hah! You went down to de fish Market to daunce arter eels. mity cureous kind ob camp meetin dat!
FRANK I[t] wasn't eels, it was a big cat fish.
DAN What chune did you dance?
Chorus [both singing].
-
- Take your time Miss Lucy
- Take your time Miss Lucy Long
- Rock de cradle Lucy
- Take your time my dear.
FRANK I trade her off for bean soup.
DAN Well, you is hungryest n#$$@# eber I saw. You'r neber satisfied widout your tinken bout bean soup all de time.
Chorus [both singing].
Popularity:
The first published edition of "Miss Lucy Long" is uncredited in an 1842 songster called Old American Songs. Billy Whitlock of the Virginia Minstrels later claimed the song in his autobiography: "I composed . . . 'Miss Lucy Long' (the words by T. G. Booth) in 1838."Despite predating the minstrel show, "Miss Lucy Long" gained its fame there. The song was the first wench role in minstrelsy. The Virginia Minstrels performed it as their closing number from their earliest performances. Dan Gardner introduced what would become the standard Lucy Long costume, skirts and pantalettes. George Christy's interpretation for the Christy Minstrels became the standard for other troupes to follow. The New York Clipper ignored Gardner completely and wrote "George [Christy] was the first to do the wench business; he was the original Lucy Long."
By 1845, the song had become the standard minstrel show closing number, and it remained so through the antebellum period. Programs regularly ended with the note that "The concert will conclude with the Boston Favorite Extravaganza of LUCY LONG." The name Lucy came to signify a woman who was "sexy, somewhat grotesque, and of suspect virtue" in minstrelsy. Similar songs appeared, including "Lucy Neal".
In the late 1920's, a dance called the Sally Long became popular; the name may derive from the minstrel song.
Musicologist Robert B. Winans found versions of "Miss Lucy Long" in 34% of minstrel show programs he examined from the 1843–52 period and in 55% from 1843–47, more than any other song. Mahar's research found that "Miss Lucy Long" is the second most frequent song in popular songsters from this period, behind only "Mary Blane". The song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity from 1855–60, when minstrelsy entered a nostalgic phase under some companies.
There is also reference to "Miss Lucy Long" in Bobby Darin's version of the song "Mack the Knife" by Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill, from their play "The Threepenny Opera".
Source: Wikipedia
Old Dan Tucker
| "Old Dan Tucker" | |
|---|---|
"Old Dan Tucker" was first published in 1843. Sheet music editions
from that year, such as this one from Charles H. Keith of Boston,
 Play (help·info) name no composer. |
|
| Written by | Usually attributed to Daniel Decatur Emmett |
| Published | 1843 |
| Language | English |
| Form | Minstrel |
| Original artist | Virginia Minstrels |
|---|
The first sheet music edition of "Old Dan Tucker", published in 1843, is a song of boasts and nonsense in the vein of previous minstrel hits such as "Jump Jim Crow" and "Gumbo Chaff". In exaggerated Black Vernacular English, the lyrics tell of Dan Tucker's exploits in a strange town, where he fights, gets drunk, overeats, and breaks other social taboos. Minstrel troupes freely added and removed verses, and folk singers have since added hundreds more. Parodies and political versions are also known.
The song falls into the idiom of previous minstrel music, relying on rhythm and text declamation as its primary motivation. Its melody is simple and the harmony little developed. Nevertheless, contemporary critics found the song more pleasant than previous minstrel fare. Musicologist Dale Cockrell argues that the song represents a transition between early minstrel music and the more European-style songs of minstrelsy's later years.
Source: Wikipedia
Just Before the Battle, Mother
Lyrics
Just before the battle, mother,I am thinking most of you,
While upon the field we're watching
With the enemy in view.
Comrades brave are 'round me lying,
Filled with thoughts of home and God
For well they know that on the morrow,
Some will sleep beneath the sod.
CHORUS:
Farewell, mother, you may never
Press me to your heart again,
But, oh, you'll not forget me, mother,
If I'm numbered with the slain.
Oh, I long to see you, mother,
And the loving ones at home,
But I'll never leave our banner,
Till in honor I can come.
Tell the traitors all around you
That their cruel words we know,
In every battle kill our soldiers
By the help they give the foe.
CHORUS:
Farewell, mother, you may never
Press me to your heart again,
But, oh, you'll not forget me, mother,
If I'm numbered with the slain.
Hark! I hear the bugles sounding,
'Tis the signal for the fight,
Now, may God protect us, mother,
As He ever does the right.
Hear the "Battle-Cry of Freedom,"
How it swells upon the air,
Oh, yes, we'll rally 'round the standard,
Or we'll perish nobly there.
CHORUS:
Farewell, mother, you may never
Press me to your heart again,
But, oh, you'll not forget me, mother,
If I'm numbered with the slain.
Lyrics are in the public domain.
External links:
- "Just Before the Battle, Mother", Stanley & Burr (Indestructible Record 1460, 1911).—Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project.
- Lyrics and midi from Project Gutenberg
- Sheet music from Project Gutenberg
- Sheet Music from the library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
We Are Coming, Father Abra'am
| "We Are Coming, Father Abra'am" | ||
|---|---|---|
"We Are Coming, Father Abra'am" cover
| ||
| Poem by James S. Gibbons | ||
| Writer | James S. Gibbons | |
 A 2009 performance of "We Are Coming, Father Abra'am" by the United States Marine Band. | ||
Lyrics:
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more,
From Mississippi's winding stream and from New England's shore.
We leave our plows and workshops, our wives and children dear,
With hearts too full for utterance, with but a silent tear.
We dare not look behind us but steadfastly before.
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
We are coming, we are coming our Union to restore,
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
If you look across the hilltops that meet the northern sky,
Long moving lines of rising dust your vision may descry;
And now the wind, an instant, tears the cloudy veil aside,
And floats aloft our spangled flag in glory and in pride;
And bayonets in the sunlight gleam, and bands brave music pour,
We are coming, father Abr'am, three hundred thousand more!
We are coming, we are coming our Union to restore,
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
If you look up all our valleys where the growing harvests shine,
You may see our sturdy farmer boys fast forming into line;
And children from their mother's knees are pulling at the weeds,
And learning how to reap and sow against their country's needs;
And a farewell group stands weeping at every cottage door,
We are coming, Father Abr'am, three hundred thousand more!
We are coming, we are coming our Union to restore,
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
You have called us, and we're coming by Richmond's bloody tide,
To lay us down for freedom's sake, our brothers' bones beside;
Or from foul treason's savage group, to wrench the murderous blade;
And in the face of foreign foes its fragments to parade.
Six hundred thousand loyal men and true have gone before,
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
We are coming, we are coming our Union to restore,
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
Source: Internet
Goober Peas
| "Goober Peas" | |
|---|---|
Cover, sheet music, 1866
| |
| Music by | P. Nutt |
| Lyrics by | A. Pindar |
| Published | 1866 |
| Language | English |
The lyrics of "Goober Peas" are a description of daily life during the last few years of the Civil War for Southerners. After being cut off from the rail lines and their farm land, they had little to eat aside from boiled peanuts (or "goober peas") which often served as an emergency ration. Peanuts were also known as pindars and goobers.
Publication date on the earliest sheet music is 1866, published by A. E. Blackmar in New Orleans. Blackmar humorously lists A. Pindar as the lyricist and P. Nutt as the composer.
Lyrics:
Verse 1- Sitting by the roadside on a summer's day
- Chatting with my mess-mates, passing time away
- Lying in the shadows underneath the trees
- Goodness, how delicious, eating goober peas.
- Chorus
- Peas, peas, peas, peas
- Eating goober peas
- Goodness, how delicious,
- Eating goober peas.
- When a horse-man passes, the soldiers have a rule
- To cry out their loudest, "Mister, here's your mule!"
- But another custom, enchanting-er than these
- Is wearing out your grinders, eating goober peas.
- Chorus
- Just before the battle, the General hears a row
- He says "The Yanks are coming, I hear their rifles now."
- He turns around in wonder, and what d'ya think he sees?
- The Georgia Militia, eating goober peas.
- Chorus
-
- (Note: There sat the Georgia Militia, is reported in contemporary accounts as underlying the battle of Griswoldville where they fought fiercely. "The Tennessee Militia" is sung instead in some versions. Tennessee in the American Civil War was the last of the Southern states to declare secession. Tennessee politicians John Bell supported it with reluctance, while Andrew Johnson fought it.
- I think my song has lasted almost long enough.
- The subject's interesting, but the rhymes are mighty tough.
- I wish the war was over, so free from rags and fleas
- We'd kiss our wives and sweethearts, and gobble goober peas.
- Chorus
- But now we are in prison and likely long to stay,
- The Yankees they are guarding us, no hope to get away;
- Our rations they are scanty, 'tis cold enough to freeze,—
- I wish I was in Georgia, eating goober peas.
- Peas, peas, peas, peas,
- Eating goober peas;
- I wish I was in Georgia, eating goober peas.
Mary Don't You Weep
| "Mary Don't You Weep" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Fisk Jubilee Singers | |
| Released | 1915 |
| Genre | Christian music |
| Cover versions | |
|
|
The song tells the Biblical story of Mary of Bethany and her distraught pleas to Jesus to raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. Other narratives relate to The Exodus and the Passage of the Red Sea, with the chorus proclaiming Pharaoh's army got drown-ded!, and to God's rainbow covenant to Noah after the Great Flood. With liberation thus one of its themes, the song again become popular during the 1950's and 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. Additionally, a song that explicitly chronicles the victories of the Civil Rights Movement, "If You Miss Me from the Back of the Bus", written by Charles Neblett of The Freedom Singers, was sung to this tune and became one of the most well-known songs of that movement.
The first recording of the song was by the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1915. The best known recordings were made by the vocal gospel group The Caravans in 1958, with Inez Andrews as the lead singer, and The Swan Silvertones in 1959. "Mary Don't You Weep" became The Swan Silvertones' greatest hit, and lead singer Claude Jeter's interpolation "I'll be a bridge over deep water if you trust in my name" served as Paul Simon's inspiration to write his 1970 song "Bridge over Troubled Water". The spiritual's lyric God gave Noah the rainbow sign, no more water the fire next time inspired the title for The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin's 1963 account of race relations in America.
Many other recordings have been made, by artists ranging from The Soul Stirrers to Burl Ives. Pete Seeger gave it additional folk music visibility by performing it at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, and played it many times throughout his career, adapting the lyrics and stating the song's relevance as an American song, not just a spiritual. In 1960, Stonewall Jackson recorded a country version of the song, where Mary is a young woman left by her lover on the wedding day to fight in the civil war, and he died in the burning of Atlanta; the song became a hit when it peaked at #12 in Country charts and #41 in Pop charts. In the 1960s, Jamaican artist Justin Hinds had a ska hit with "Jump Out Of The Frying Pan", whose lyrics borrowed heavily from the spiritual. Paul Clayton's version "Pharaoh's Army" appears in "Home-Made Songs & Ballads", which was released in 1961. James Brown rewrote the lyrics of the original spiritual for his 1964 soul hit "Oh Baby Don't You Weep". Aretha Franklin recorded a live version of the song for her 1972 album Amazing Grace. An a cappella version by Take 6, simply called "Mary", received wide airplay after appearing on the group's eponymous debut album in 1988. The song is sung briefly at the beginning of the music video for Bone Thugs N Harmony's 1996 "Tha Crossroads". In a pounding big group folk arrangement, it was one of the highlights of the 2006 Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour. The song also appeared on Mike Farris' 2007 album Salvation in Lights. Entitled as "Don't You Weep, Mary", this song is on The Kingston Trio compact disc Two Classic Albums.
There was also an adaptation of this song recorded in the Greek language. The title was "Mairi Mi Lypasai Pia", and was written and recorded by the Greek songwriter, Manos Xydous, on his 2010 album Otan tha fygo ena vrady apo 'do as well as on the collection Epityhies 2011.
Source: Internet
The Bonnie Blue Flag
The song was premiered by lyricist Harry McCarthy during a concert in Jackson, Mississippi, in the spring of 1861 and performed again in September of that same year at the New Orleans Academy of Music for the First Texas Volunteer Infantry regiment mustering in celebration.
The New Orleans music publishing house of A.E. Blackmar issued six editions of "The Bonnie Blue Flag" between 1861 and 1864 along with three additional arrangements.
The "band of brothers" mentioned in the first line of the song recalls the well known St. Crispin's Day Speech in William Shakespeare's play Henry V (Act IV, scene ii)i.
Lyrics revision:
- We are a band of brothers and native to the soil,
- Fighting for the property we gained by honest toil;
- And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far,
- Hurrah! for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Complete lyrics of the common version:
1. We are a band of brothers and native to the soil- Fighting for our Liberty, With treasure, blood and toil
- And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far
- Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!
- Hurrah! Hurrah!
- For Southern rights, hurrah!
- Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
- Like friends and like brethren, kind were we, and just
- But now, when Northern treachery attempts our rights to mar
- We hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
3. First gallant South Carolina nobly made the stand
- Then came Alabama and took her by the hand
- Next, quickly Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida
- All raised on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
4. Ye men of valor gather round the banner of the right
- Texas and fair Louisiana join us in the fight
- Davis, our loved President, and Stephens statesmen rare
- Now rally round the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
5. Now here's to brave Virginia, the Old Dominion State,
- With the young Confederacy at last has sealed her fate,
- And spurred by her example, now other states prepare
- To hoist high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
6. Then cheer, boys, cheer, raise a joyous shout
- For Arkansas and North Carolina now have both gone out,
- And let another rousing cheer for Tennessee be given,
- The single star of the Bonnie Blue Flag has grown to be eleven.
7. Then here's to our Confederacy, strong we are and brave,
- Like patriots of old we'll fight, our heritage to save;
- And rather than submit to shame, to die we would prefer,
- So cheer for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Historical inaccuracy:
The third verse of the song misstates the order in which the states seceded from the Union. The dates on which the states seceded are as follows:South Carolina (December 20, 1860), Mississippi (January 9, 1861), Florida (January 10, 1861), Alabama (January 11, 1861), Georgia (January 19, 1861), Louisiana (January 26, 1861), Texas (February 1, 1861), Virginia (April 17, 1861), Arkansas (May 6, 1861), North Carolina (May 20, 1861), and Tennessee (June 8, 1861).
Thus, Alabama did not take South Carolina by the hand, but delayed its secession until the departure of Mississippi and Florida. The most likely reason for the discrepancy is literary license and a desire to fit within a certain poetic meter.
Union Versions:
As with many Civil War songs, this song had multiple versions for both sides. One Union version went:- We're fighting for our Union,
- We're fighting for our trust,
- We're fighting for that happy land
- Where sleeps our father dust.
- It cannot be dissevered,
- Though it cost us bloody wars,
- We never can give up the land
- Where floats the stripes and stars.
- For equal rights hurrah,
- Hurrah for the good old flag
- That bears the stripes and stars.
- We trusted you as brothers,
- Until you drew the sword,
- With impious hands at Sumpter
- You cut the silver cord.
- So now you hear the bugles,
- We come the sons of Mars,
- To rally round the brave old flag
- That bears the stripes and stars.
- We do not want your cotton,
- We do not want your slaves,
- But rather than divide the land,
- We'll fill your Southern graves.
- With Lincoln for our chieftain,
- We wear our country's stars,
- And rally round the brave old flag
- That bears the stripes and stars.
- We deem our cause most holy,
- We know we're in the right,
- And twenty million freemen
- Stand ready for the fight.
- Our pride is fair Columbia,
- No stain her beauty mars,
- On her we'll raise the brave old flag
- That bears the stripes and stars.
- Chorus
- And when this war is over,
- We'll each resume our home,
- And treat you still as brothers,
- Where ever you may roam.
- We'll pledge the hand of friendship,
- And think no more of war,
- But dwell in peace beneath the flag
- That bears the stripes and stars.
Another version went.
- We are a band of Patriots who each leave home and friend,
- Our noble Constitution and our Banner to defend,
- Our Capitol was threatened, and the cry rose near and far,
- To protect our Country's glorious Flag that glitters with many a star.
- Hurrah, Hurrah, for the Union, boys Hurrah
- Hurrah for our forefather's Flag,
- that glitters with many a star.
- Much patience and forbearance, the North has always shown,
- Toward her Southern brethren, who had each way their own;
- But when we made our President—a man whom we desired,
- Their wrath was roused, they mounted guns, and on Fort Sumter fired.
- They forced the war upon us, for peaceful men are we,
- They steal our money, seize our forts, and then as cowards flee,
- False to their vows, and to the Flag, that once protected them,
- They sought the Union to dissolve, earth's noblest, brightest, gem.
- We're in the right, and will prevail, the Stars and Stripes must fly!
- The "Bonnie Blue Flag" will be hauled down and every traitor die,
- Freedom and Peace enjoyed by all, as ne'er was known before,
- Our spangled Banner wave on high, with stars just Thirty Four.
In popular culture
- In the 1939 movie Gone with the Wind Rhett Butler names his child 'Bonnie Blue Butler' after Melanie Hamilton remarks that the child's eyes are as "blue as the Bonnie Blue flag".
- In the 1959 movie The Horse Soldiers, the chorus of the Bonnie Blue Flag is sung by a marching company of Virginia military school cadets, who face the Union cavalry in an effort to delay their progress. It is loosely based on the unrelated charge of the Virginia Military Institute cadets at the Battle of New Market, 15 May 1864.
- In the 1966 movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the chorus of the Bonnie Blue Flag is sung by a band of drunken revelers as they drop off Maria at her home in Santa Anna.
- The 1972 television series Appointment with Destiny made the error of portraying Union soldiers singing "The Bonnie Blue Flag."
- In the 1999 television movie The Hunley about the H.L. Hunley submarine in South Carolina during the American Civil War, the Bonnie Blue Flag song is sung to raise civilians' spirits during a Union bomb attack on the city.
- In the 2003 movie Gods and Generals, the ode to the Bonnie Blue Flag is sung in front of the Confederate Army.
- In a 2012 episode of the show Hell on Wheels entitled Viva La Mexico, the chorus of the song is sung by Confederate soldiers-turned bandits.
- In the 2013 video game BioShock Infinite, "The Bonnie Blue Flag" is played on a phonograph during the chapter "Hall of Heroes."
External links:
- "The Bonnie Blue Flag", Polk Miller and his Old South Quartet (Edison Blue Amberol 2175, 1913)—Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project.
- A performance of the song in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, in a scene set in a Confederate camp which includes cameo appearances by Ted Turner and U.S. Senators George Allen (R-Va) and Robert Byrd (D-WV).
- Lyrics and melody to the song, including a refutation of the alternate lyrics
- Sheet music for "The Bonnie Blue Flag", from Project Gutenberg
- Images of the original sheet music (1861) for "The Bonnie Blue Flag" at the Duke University library
- MIDI for "The Bonnie Blue Flag", from Project Gutenberg
- Bonnie Blue Flag (Full Version)
- The short film A NATION SINGS (1963) is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Source: Internet
Thursday, May 1, 2014
When This Cruel War Is Over
Lyrics:
Source: youtube.com
Dearest Love, do you remember, when we last did meet,
How you told me that you loved me, kneeling at my feet?
Oh! How proud you stood before me, in your suit of blue,
When you vow'd to me and country, ever to be true.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain!
When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again.
When the summer breeze is sighing, mournfully along,
Or when autumn leaves are falling, sadly breathes the song.
Oft in dreams I see thee lying on the battle plain,
Lonely, wounded, even dying, calling but in vain.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain!
When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again.
If amid the din of battle, nobly you should fall,
Far away from those who love you, none to hear you call --
Who would whisper words of comfort, who would soothe your pain?
Ah! The many cruel fancies, ever in my brain.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain!
When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again.
But our Country called you, Darling, angels cheer your way;
While our nation's sons are fighting, we can only pray.
Nobly strike for God and Liberty, let all nations see
How we loved the starry banner, emblem of the free.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain! When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again.
Click Here for video.Source: youtube.com
Home Sweet Home
Lyrics:
You know I'm a dreamer
But my heart's of gold
I had to run away high
So, I wouldn't come home low
But my heart's of gold
I had to run away high
So, I wouldn't come home low
Just when things went right
Doesn't mean they're always wrong
Just take this song and you'll never feel
Left all alone
Doesn't mean they're always wrong
Just take this song and you'll never feel
Left all alone
Take me to your heart
Feel me in your bones
Just one more night
And I'm comin' off this
Feel me in your bones
Just one more night
And I'm comin' off this
Long and winding road
I'm on my way, I'm on my way
Home sweet home, tonight tonight
I'm on my way, I'm on my way
Home sweet home, tonight tonight
I'm on my way, I'm on my way
Home sweet home
You know that I've seen
Too many romantic dreams
Up in lights, fallin' off
Too many romantic dreams
Up in lights, fallin' off
The silver screen
My heart's like an open book
For the whole world to read
Sometime, nothing keeps me together
For the whole world to read
Sometime, nothing keeps me together
At the seams
I'm on my way, I'm on my way
Home sweet home, tonight tonight
I'm on my way, just set me free
Home sweet home
Home sweet home, tonight tonight
I'm on my way, just set me free
Home sweet home
Home sweet home
Home sweet home
Home sweet home
Home sweet home
Home sweet home
Ooh, I'm on my way, I'm on my way
Home sweet home, yeah
I'm on my way, just set me free
Home sweet home
Home sweet home, yeah
I'm on my way, just set me free
Home sweet home
Were Tenting On The Old Campground
Lyrics:
We're tenting tonight on the old camp ground, Give us a song to cheer Our weary hearts, a song of home, And friends we love so dear. Many are the hearts that are weary tonight, Wishing for the war to cease; Many are the hearts that are looking for the right To see the dawn of peace. Tenting tonight, tenting tonight, tenting on the old camp ground We've been tenting tonight on the old camp ground, Thinking of days gone by, Of the loved ones at home that gave us the hand And the tear that said "Goodbye!" We are tired of war on the old camp ground, Many are dead and gone, Of the brave and true who've left their homes, Others been wounded long. We've been fighting today on the old camp ground, Many are lying near; Some are dead and some are dying, Many are in tears. Many are the heart that are weary tonight, Wishing for the war to cease; Many are the hearts that are looking for the right To see the dawn of peace Dying tonight, dying tonight, dying on the old camp ground.
Click Here for video.
Source: youtube.com
Bury Me In Southern Ground
Lyrics:
I was born in Dixieland Unreconstructed till the end
In Carolina I was raised by my grandaddy and my daddy's ways
They both taught me right from wrong, how to fight and how to get along
But my own life is almost gone in Southern ground I belong.
My final hour is drawing near, so friend come sit by me right here
Lets laugh and talk about our lives and the good ol days before I die.
Please give your word this vow you'll keep, when I return to earth to sleep
Let me dream forever under Southern land, With a Dixie flag tied in my hand.
Chorus:
When my time is come, before they lay me down to rest
Friends, in my time of darkness, Please grant me just this one last request
Dixieland is where I wanna make my final stand
I don't care if I'm in a box or not when they lay me down
Just bury me in Southern ground.
One last look at the countryside before I close my weary eyes.
Southern air for my last breath, here comes my sweet angel of death
Sing Dixie while they lower me, so I hear it for eternity
I can feel the reapers touch, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Chorus:
When my time is come, before they lay me down to rest
Friends, in my time of darkness, Please grant me just this one last request
Dixieland is where I wanna make my final stand
I don't care if I'm in a box or not when they lay me down
Just bury me in Southern ground.
Dixie land is where I wanna make my final stand
I don't care if I'm in a box or not when they lay me down
Just bury me in Southern ground.
Click Here for video.
Source: youtube.com
I was born in Dixieland Unreconstructed till the end
In Carolina I was raised by my grandaddy and my daddy's ways
They both taught me right from wrong, how to fight and how to get along
But my own life is almost gone in Southern ground I belong.
My final hour is drawing near, so friend come sit by me right here
Lets laugh and talk about our lives and the good ol days before I die.
Please give your word this vow you'll keep, when I return to earth to sleep
Let me dream forever under Southern land, With a Dixie flag tied in my hand.
Chorus:
When my time is come, before they lay me down to rest
Friends, in my time of darkness, Please grant me just this one last request
Dixieland is where I wanna make my final stand
I don't care if I'm in a box or not when they lay me down
Just bury me in Southern ground.
One last look at the countryside before I close my weary eyes.
Southern air for my last breath, here comes my sweet angel of death
Sing Dixie while they lower me, so I hear it for eternity
I can feel the reapers touch, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Chorus:
When my time is come, before they lay me down to rest
Friends, in my time of darkness, Please grant me just this one last request
Dixieland is where I wanna make my final stand
I don't care if I'm in a box or not when they lay me down
Just bury me in Southern ground.
Dixie land is where I wanna make my final stand
I don't care if I'm in a box or not when they lay me down
Just bury me in Southern ground.
Click Here for video.
Source: youtube.com
I’m A Good Old Rebel
Lyrics:
I’m A Good Old Rebel
Oh, I'm a good old Rebel, now that's just what I am,
For this "Fair Land of Freedom" I do not give a damn!
I'm glad I fit against it, I only wish we'd won,
And I don't want no pardon for anything I done.
I hates the Constitution, this Great Republic, too,
I hates the Freedman's Buro in uniforms of blue,
I hates the nasty eagle with all his brag and fuss,
The lying, thieving Yankees, I hates 'em wuss and wuss!
I hates the Yankee nation and everything they do,
I hates the Declaration of Independence, too,
I hates the "Glorious Union" , 'tis dripping with our blood,
I hates their striped banner, I fit it all I could.
I followed old Marse Robert for four years, near about,
Got wounded in three places, and starved at P'int Lookout;
I cotched the "roomatism" a'campin' in the snow,
But I killed a chance o' Yankees, and I'd like to kill some mo'.
Three hundred thousand Yankees is stiff in Southern dust!
We got three hundred thousand before they conquered us.
They died of Southern fever and Southern steel and shot,
I wish they was three million instead of what we got.
I can't take up my musket and fight 'em now no more,
But I ain't a'gonna love 'em, now that is sarten sure;
And I don't want no pardon for what I was and am,
I won't be reconstructed, and I do not care a damn!
Another Version Lyrics:
I'm glad I fought a ganner,
I only wish we won.
I aint asked any pardon for anything I've done.
I aint asked any pardon for anything I've done.
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
Another Version Lyrics:
Oh, I'm a good old rebel,
Now thats just what I am,
And for this yankee nation,
I do no give a damn.
I'm glad I fought a ganner,
I only wish we won.
I aint asked any pardon for anything I've done.
Now thats just what I am,
And for this yankee nation,
I do no give a damn.
I'm glad I fought a ganner,
I only wish we won.
I aint asked any pardon for anything I've done.
I hates the yankee nation and everything they do.
I hates the declaration of independence, too.
I hates the glorious union, t'is dripping with our blood.
I hates the striped banner, and fit it all I could
I hates the declaration of independence, too.
I hates the glorious union, t'is dripping with our blood.
I hates the striped banner, and fit it all I could
I rode with Robert E. Lee,
For three years, thereabout.
Got wounded in four places,
And I starved at point lookout.
I catched the rheumatism
A campin' in the snow.
But I killed a chance of Yankees
And I'd like to kill some more.
For three years, thereabout.
Got wounded in four places,
And I starved at point lookout.
I catched the rheumatism
A campin' in the snow.
But I killed a chance of Yankees
And I'd like to kill some more.
3 hundred thousand Yankees
Is stiff in southern dust.
We got 3 hundred thousand
Before they conquered us
They died of Southern Fever
And southern steel and shot
I wish there were 3 million
Instead of what we got.
Is stiff in southern dust.
We got 3 hundred thousand
Before they conquered us
They died of Southern Fever
And southern steel and shot
I wish there were 3 million
Instead of what we got.
I can't pick up my musket
And fight 'um down no more
But I ain't gonna love 'um
Now that is certain sure
And I don't want no pardon
For what I was and am
I won't be reconstructed
And I do not give a damn
And fight 'um down no more
But I ain't gonna love 'um
Now that is certain sure
And I don't want no pardon
For what I was and am
I won't be reconstructed
And I do not give a damn
Oh, I'm a good old rebel,
Now that's just what I am,
And for this yankee nation,
I do no give a damn.
Now that's just what I am,
And for this yankee nation,
I do no give a damn.
I'm glad I fought a ganner,
I only wish we won.
I aint asked any pardon for anything I've done.
I aint asked any pardon for anything I've done.
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
Wearing Of The Gray
Lyrics:
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
The fearful struggle's ended now and peace smiles on our land,
And though we've yielded we have proved ourselves a faithful band.
We fought them long, we fought them well, we fought them night and day,
And bravely struggled for our rights while wearing of the gray.
And now that we have ceased to fight and pledged our sacred word,
That we against the Union's might no more will draw the sword,
We feel despite the sneers of those who never smelt the fray,
That we've a manly, honest right to wearing of the gray.
Our cause is lost the more we fight 'gainst o'erwhelming power,
All wearied are our limbs and drenched with many a battle shower.
We feign we rest for want of strength in yielding up the day,
And lower the flag so proudly born while wearing of the gray.
Defeat is not dishonor, our honor not bereft,
We thank God that in our hearts this priceless boon was left.
And though we weep just for those braves who stood in proud array,
Beneath our flag and nobly died while wearing of the gray.
When in the ranks of war we stood and faced the deadly hail,
Our simple suits of gray composed our only coats of mail.
And on the awful hours that marked the bloody battle day,
In memories we'll still be seen wearing of the gray.
Oh! should we reach that glorious place where waits a sparklin' crown,
For everyone who for the right his soldier life lay down.
God grant to us the privilege upon that happy day,
Of claspin' hands with those who fell while wearing of the gray.
And though we've yielded we have proved ourselves a faithful band.
We fought them long, we fought them well, we fought them night and day,
And bravely struggled for our rights while wearing of the gray.
And now that we have ceased to fight and pledged our sacred word,
That we against the Union's might no more will draw the sword,
We feel despite the sneers of those who never smelt the fray,
That we've a manly, honest right to wearing of the gray.
Our cause is lost the more we fight 'gainst o'erwhelming power,
All wearied are our limbs and drenched with many a battle shower.
We feign we rest for want of strength in yielding up the day,
And lower the flag so proudly born while wearing of the gray.
Defeat is not dishonor, our honor not bereft,
We thank God that in our hearts this priceless boon was left.
And though we weep just for those braves who stood in proud array,
Beneath our flag and nobly died while wearing of the gray.
When in the ranks of war we stood and faced the deadly hail,
Our simple suits of gray composed our only coats of mail.
And on the awful hours that marked the bloody battle day,
In memories we'll still be seen wearing of the gray.
Oh! should we reach that glorious place where waits a sparklin' crown,
For everyone who for the right his soldier life lay down.
God grant to us the privilege upon that happy day,
Of claspin' hands with those who fell while wearing of the gray.
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
The Battle Cry Of Freedom
Lyrics:
The Battle Cry of Freedom
by George F. Root
Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom,
We will rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.
(Chorus)
The Rebel forever,
Hurrah! boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitors,
Up with the stars,
While we rally round the flag, boys,
Rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.
We are springing to the call
of our brothers gone before,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom,
And we'll fill our vacant ranks with a million freemen more,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.
(Chorus)
We will welcome to our numbers the loyal, true and brave,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom,
And although they may be poor, not a man shall be a slave,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.
(Chorus)
So we're springing to the call from the East and from the West,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom,
And we'll hurl the Union crew from the land that we love best,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.
(Chorus)
The Army Bean
Lyrics:
Air--"SWEET BYE AND BYE."
There's a spot that the soldiers all love,
The mess-tent is the place that we mean,
And the dish that we like to see there
Is the old-fashioned, white Army bean.
Chorus:
'Tis the bean that we mean,
And we'll eat as we ne'er ate before
The Army bean, nice and clean;
We will stick to our beans evermore.
Now, the bean in its primitive state
Is a plant we have all often met,
And, when cooked in the old army style,
It has charms we can never forget.
Chorus:
The German is fond of sauer kraut,
The potato is loved by the Mick,
But the soldiers have long since found out
That thro' life to our beans we should stick.--
Chorus:
Refrain:
Air--"TELL AUNT RHODA."
Beans for breakfast,
Beans for dinner,
Beans for supper,
Beans! Beans!! Beans!!!
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
Air--"SWEET BYE AND BYE."
There's a spot that the soldiers all love,
The mess-tent is the place that we mean,
And the dish that we like to see there
Is the old-fashioned, white Army bean.
Chorus:
'Tis the bean that we mean,
And we'll eat as we ne'er ate before
The Army bean, nice and clean;
We will stick to our beans evermore.
Now, the bean in its primitive state
Is a plant we have all often met,
And, when cooked in the old army style,
It has charms we can never forget.
Chorus:
The German is fond of sauer kraut,
The potato is loved by the Mick,
But the soldiers have long since found out
That thro' life to our beans we should stick.--
Chorus:
Refrain:
Air--"TELL AUNT RHODA."
Beans for breakfast,
Beans for dinner,
Beans for supper,
Beans! Beans!! Beans!!!
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
When This Cruel War Is Over
Lyrics:
Dearest Love, do you remember?
When we last did meet?
How you told me that you loved me kneeling at my feet.
How proud you stood before me in your suit of blue [grey]
When you vowed to me and country ever to be true? [nevermore to stray]
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
When the summer breeze is sighing, mournfully along,
Or when autumn leaves are falling, sadly breathes this song.
Oft in dreams I see thee lying on the battle plain,
Lonely, wounded, even dying, calling out in vain.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
If amid the din of battle, nobly you should fall,
Far away from those who love you, none to hear you call
Who would whisper words of comfort, who would soothe your pain?
Ah! The many cruel fancies, ever in my brain.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
But our Country called you, Darling, angels cheer your way;
While our nation's sons are fighting, we can only pray.
Nobly strike for God and Liberty, let all nations see,
How we loved our starry banner, emblem of the free.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
Dearest Love, do you remember?
When we last did meet?
How you told me that you loved me kneeling at my feet.
How proud you stood before me in your suit of blue [grey]
When you vowed to me and country ever to be true? [nevermore to stray]
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
When the summer breeze is sighing, mournfully along,
Or when autumn leaves are falling, sadly breathes this song.
Oft in dreams I see thee lying on the battle plain,
Lonely, wounded, even dying, calling out in vain.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
If amid the din of battle, nobly you should fall,
Far away from those who love you, none to hear you call
Who would whisper words of comfort, who would soothe your pain?
Ah! The many cruel fancies, ever in my brain.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
But our Country called you, Darling, angels cheer your way;
While our nation's sons are fighting, we can only pray.
Nobly strike for God and Liberty, let all nations see,
How we loved our starry banner, emblem of the free.
Chorus:
Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears, how vain!
When this cruel war is over praying then to meet again.
Click Here For Video.
Source: youtube.com
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