Show Songs of War WarWe and the delicate balance has been shattered We are never at peace long in this world now again The shrinking ever-shrinking world holds its breath over the recent outbreak between fearing how much it will affect each of us Iraq and Iran wondering no We remember past wars the the feelings of ot patriotism Everything changes even war the propaganda weapons or lack of it and the songs about it Each American war seems to have had its own character and the songs reflect that Few songs are remembered from the Revolutionary War but we need only one to understand understand understand under under- stand what stirred the patriots of that time Yankee Doodle The tune is of unknown origin but the verse we all know was written by an Englishman to deride the ragged but determined Colonial troops Yankee Doodle went to town riding A-riding on a pony He stuck a feather in his cap And called it Macaroni y I The Americans turned it around and made it their own Father and I went down to camp Along with Captain Gooding And there we saw the men and boys As thick as hasty pudding The lively catchy tune made it a good purpose all-purpose war song and verses were constantly being added The women left at home in dread and hope sang this song also written in a simplistic light style Here I sit on Buttermilk Hill Who ho could blame me for crying my fill And every tear would turn a mill Johnny has gone for a soldier The love song of that war had a naturally captivating melody to which soldiers have marched from the Revolutionary War to World War II The Girl I Left Behind Me lYle The War of 1812 was essentially a naval war and there were many ballads of sea battles but the musical star of that war was The Star-Spangled Star Banner written in 1814 and made our official National Anthem in 1931 The Civil War the saddest war seemed to produce songs of the most serious nature There were rallying songs for the North the greatest being The Battle Hymn of the Republic Mine eyes have seen the glory od the coming of the Lord He is trampling down the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored There was a rallying song for the South The Bonnie Blue Flag and when our rights were threatened the cry rose near and far Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star 1 r- r t. t There were songs of home Just before the battle mother I am thinking most of you While upon the fields were we're watching With the enemy in view There were marching songs sung from a prison cell and marching songs sung about that happy day When Johnny Comes Marching Home The men will cheer and the boys will shout shou t The ladies they will all turn out And well we'll all feel gay When Johnny comes marching home i That stirring song Dixie not originally written as a war song kept many a southern soldier on his feet above and beyond the call of duty The shot heard around the world brought on World War Tar Wari 1 i or the Great War We were living in very prosperous times and had begun to think of ourselves as invincible George M. M Cohan did nothing to dispel this idea His rousing song Over There moved thousands of men to action Over there over there Send the word send the word Over there That the Yanks are coming The Yanks are coming and we wont won't be home til its it's over over there He also revived Yankee Doodle in Yankee Doodle Dandy |