TY - JOUR
AU1 - Whitmer, Mariana
AB - Sing me of wars, sing me of breadlines, Tell me of front page news, Sing me of strikes and last minute headlines, Dress your observations in syncopation. —Harold Rome, “Sing Me a Song of Social Significance” (1) The history of America is reflected in our music, and readily discernible in the songs we have sung. Songs have seen us through moments of crisis as well as times of joy. Songs have helped us work, have united and divided us, they have demonstrated our faith in all its diversity, and have reflected our scorn. Songs can illuminate our understanding of the history of the American people better than any other vehicle because they carry with them sentiments that can be expressed in multiple ways. As Deane Root points out in the previous essay, it is not simply the words that convey meaning, but also the music and the performance style. These different modes of expression provide us with a multifaceted link to our past. “But let us to New England go ….” Our culture's earliest songs were those brought from other places. Too preoccupied with making the new land inhabitable, early European settlers diverted themselves with songs they already knew. Many can be traced back for centuries, while others were relatively recent, originating in the seventeenth century. The following early English song, for example, encouraged emigration for the sake of religious salvation. “A Friendly Invitation to a New Plantation” (1638) My Brethren all attend, and list to my relation: This is the day, mark what I say, Tends to your renovation. Stay not among the wicked, Lest that with them you perish, But let us to New England go, and th' Pagan People cherish. Refrain: Then for the truth's sake come, come along. Leave this place of superstition. Were it not for we; that the Brethren be, You would sink into perdition. “New England's Annoyances” is an amusing song written to boost morale during those early hard times. Sung to the tune of an old English ballad, “In Pescod Time,” the words provide a stark contrast to the harvesting of field peas to which the original title refers. “New England's Annoyances” was published initially in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1643 as a broadside. Its reappearance in several later publications suggests that it was quite popular throughout the colonies. No doubt more than one family could attest to the hardships it describes: New England's annoyances you that would know them, Pray ponder these verses which briefly doth show them. The place where we live is a wilderness wood, Where grass is much wanting that's fruitful and good. From the end of November till three months are gone, The ground is all frozen as hard as a stone Our mountains and hills and vallies below, Being commonly covered with ice and with snow. Instead of potage and puddings and custards and pies, Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies; We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon; If it was not for pumpkins we should be undone. Adding new lyrics to well-known melodies helped with retention, since early songs were rarely written down and survived in oral tradition. Often the sentiment conveyed by the original song would be carried over to the new set of lyrics. Thus, choosing a certain tune would lead the listener to apply the extra-musical sentiment of the old words to the new ones. Changing the words to well-known songs was especially useful when we needed to rally around a common cause, like independence, as when the English national anthem “God Save the King” became “Hail O America” (1776): Hail O America! Hail now the joyful day, Exalt your voice. Shout, George is King no more, Over this Western shore, Let him his loss deplore, While we rejoice. Or later, when it became “God Save America” (1778): God Save America, Free from despotic sway, Till time shall cease. Hushed be the Din of Arms, Also fierce War's Alarms, And follow in all he charms, Heaven-born Peace. Eventually, it became “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” (1831). Such songs of liberty galvanized the emotions of some of the early colonists and helped them to brave the consequences as they sought to understand their destiny and possible independence from England. The “Liberty Song” (1768)—a new set of lyrics by John Dickinson set to a sea chanty (“Heart of Oak”)—expressed many of those initial thoughts of freedom: Come, join hand in hand, Brave Americans all, And rouse your bold hearts at fair liberty's call; No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim, Or stain with dishonour America's name. Refrain: In freedom we're born, and in freedom we'll live, Our purses are ready, Steady, Friends, Steady. Not as slaves, but as freemen our money we'll give. The parodies that were inspired by Dickinson's text shed light on the various arguments and remind us that the revolutionary spirit was not shared by everyone. In this instance we hear the anonymous Tory response (1768): Come shake your dull Noodles, ye Pumpkins and bawl, And own that you're mad at fair Liberty's Call. No scandalous Conduct can add to your Shame. Condemn'd to Dishonor. Inherit the Fame— In Folly you're born, and in Folly you'll live, To Madness still ready, And Stupidly steady, Not as Men, but as Monkies, the tokens you give. “Address to the Ladies” (1769), penned by an anonymous writer, appeared in the Boston News Letter when the populace of that city declared that it would no longer import any tea, glass, paper, or other commodities until England repealed the duty tax on those items. The kind of frugality advocated in this song had a significant impact on the trade to the Colonies. The exports from England, which had been $11,890,000 in 1768, declined the following year to $8,170,000: Young ladies in town, and those that live round, Let a friend at this season advise you: Since money's so scarce, and times growing worse, Strange things may soon hap and surprize you; First then, throw aside your high top knots of pride, Wear none but your own country linen, Of economy boast, let your pride be the most To show clothes of your own make and spinning. “Traveling through the world of woe ….” As American society grew more diverse and expanded geographically songs reflected the changing lives of differing populations. Regional differences emerged in the songs of the South and the Appalachians. “The Babe in the Woods” is a remnant of the much older English song “The Children in the Wood” (dating from 1658), which was used to teach morals and ethics, as well as admonish children to beware of strangers: My dear you must know that a long time ago There was two little children whose names I don't know, Who were taken away on a bright autumn day, And lost in the woods I have heard people say. Folk hymns like “Wayfaring Stranger” provided moral support as well as entertainment to many in the difficult farming areas of the mountainous southeastern region: I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger I'm traveling through the world of woe But there's no sin toil or danger In that bright land to which I'm going. Refrain: I'm going there to see my mother She said she'd meet me when I come I'm only going over Jordan I'm only going over home. Many accounts of plantation life suggest that slave owners encouraged their slaves to sing, thinking it meant they were happy and made them more productive. Little did the owners realize that many of the songs the slaves sang helped to unite their desires for freedom and communicate plans for escape. “Let Us Break Bread Together,” which may have been sung as early as 1676, may have been one such song, where the use of the plural suggests a secret meeting and the reference to facing east (“the rising sun”) suggests a location. Let us break bread together on our knees. Let us break bread together on our knees. Refrain: When I fall on my knees, With my face to the rising sun, Oh, Lord, have mercy on me. Early abolitionists appreciated songs like “The Desponding Negro” (1798), which was originally composed for an English play and dramatized the horrors of slavery: On Afric's wide plains where the lion now roaring, With freedom stalks forth the vast desert exploring, I was dragg'd from my hut and enchain'd as a slave, In a dark floating dungeon upon the salt wave, Spare a halfpenny, spare a halfpenny, Spare a halfpenny to a poor Negro. Toss'd on the wild main, I all wildly despairing, Burst my chains rushed on deck with my eyeballs glaring, When the lightning's dread blast struck the inlets of day, And its glorious bright beams shut forever away. Spare a halfpenny, etc. Almost a century later, parlor songs, sung at home for genteel entertainment and composed by American composers—like Benjamin Hanby's “Darling Nelly Gray” (1856), and Stephen Foster's “Nelly Was a Lady” (1849)—helped to humanize the African American slave by introducing real emotions in songs about their plight. Foster's song was revolutionary in that it was the first song to actually refer to a slave as a “lady”: When I saw my Nelly in de morning, Smile till she open'd up her eyes, Seem'd like de light ob day a dawning, Jist ‘fore de sun begin to rise. Nelly was a lady Last night she died, Toll de bell for lubly Nell My dark Virginny bride. As demonstrated in David Hsiung's lesson plan in this issue (pp. 23–26), spirituals played a major role in the civil rights movement, as they were adapted with relevant lyrics to unite and inspire protesters. Meanwhile, Curtis Mayfield's “People Get Ready” (1965) commented on the changing attitudes towards segregation with lyrics hearkening back to early spirituals. While getting on board a train may have at one time meant going to meet your maker (as in the spiritual “De Gospel Train” [2]), in the twentieth century it meant joining in the movement; literally, in this instance, the March on Washington: People get ready, there's a train comin'. You don't need no baggage, you just get on board. All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'. You don't need no ticket, you just thank the lord. “Come all you Californians ….” As the population and territorial boundaries of the United States continued to grow in the nineteenth century, expansion to the west was colorfully documented in numerous songs. The well-known “Sweet Betsy from Pike” (1858) brings us the feminist perspective, while “Crossing the Plains” (below) was more pragmatic. Come all you Californians, I pray open wide your ears, If you are going across the Plains, With snotty mules or steers, Remember beans before you start, Likewise dried beef and ham, Beware of venison, damn the stuff, If's oftentimes a ram. You must buy two revolvers, A bowie-knife and belt, Says you, “Old feller, now stand off, Or I will have your pelt,” The greenhorn looks around about, But not a soul can see, Says he, “There's not a man in town, But what's afraid of me.” In the wake of the Gold Rush some California miners down on their luck changed careers by entertaining people in the emerging towns and even publishing songs. Many of these songs were adaptations, like “Sweet Betsy from Pike” set to the tune of “Villikens and His Dinah,” and “Oh California” (c. 1849), set to Stephen Foster's popular tune “Susanna” (1848): I came from Salem City, With my washbowl on my knee, I'm going to California, The gold-dust for to see, It rained all night the day I left, The weather it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to death— Oh, brothers, don't you cry! Refrain: Oh California That's the land for me! I'm bound for San Francisco With my washbowl on my knee. Many years later when the dust bowl refugees headed to California, the reception awaiting them was quite different. Woody Guthrie's “[If You Ain't Got the] Do[ough] Re Mi” (1937) describes the attitude of the local law enforcement who looked to make a profit from the influx of migrant farm workers: Lots of folks back east they say, Leaving home every day, Beating a hot old dusty way to the California line. Cross the desert sands they roll, Getting out of that old dust bowl, Think they're going to a sugar bowl, but here's what they find. Now the police at the port of entry say, ‘You're number fourteen thousand for today’ Refrain: Oh, if you ain't got the do re mi, boys, If you ain't got the do re mi, Why, you better get back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee. California's a Garden of Eden, A paradise to live in or see. But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot, If you ain't got the do re mi. “We leave our homes in the morning ….” Songs have provided distraction during working hours and helped us articulate displeasure with our circumstances, resulting in a chronicle of the development of our changing economy. The whaling industry, so important along the eastern coast in early U.S. history, generated many songs such as “Greenland Whale Fishery” (1837), which depicts the risks sailors faced and communicates the importance of whale byproducts in nineteenth-century American life: In eighteen hundred and forty-one (3) On March the seventeenth day, We hoisted our colours to our top mast high And for Greenland bore away, brave boys, And for Greenland bore away. And when this whale we did harpoon, He gave one slap with his tail. He upset the boat, we lost five of our crew, Neither did we catch that whale, brave boys, Neither did we catch that whale. “Bad news, bad news,” our captain, he cried, For it grieved his heart full sore. But the losing of that hundred barrel whale, It grieved him ten times more, brave boys, It grieved him ten times more. Tough economic conditions on land were also described in song. Farmers began lamenting the injustices of their livelihood in the mid-nineteenth century, and with the emergence of the Grange Movement, voiced their sentiments in “The Farmer is the Man” (c. 1880s): Oh the farmer comes to town With his wagon broken down, Oh the farmer is the man who feeds us all; If we'd only look and see, well I think that we'd agree That the farmer is the man who feeds us all. Refrain: The farmer is the man, The farmer is the man. Lives on credit ‘til the fall, Then they take him by the hand, And they lead him from the land, And the middleman's the one who gets it all. With the introduction of industrialization, many Americans saw their livelihood threatened. In “Peg and Awl” the shoemaker prepares to hang up his tools of the trade (4): In the days of eighteen and one, Peg an' awl, In the days of eighteen and one, Peg an' awl, In the days of eighteen and one Peggin' shoes is all I done, Hand me down my pegs, my pegs, my pegs, my awl. They've invented a new machine, The prettiest little thing you ever seen. I'll throw away my pegs, my pegs, my pegs, my awl. Makes a hundred pair to my one, Peggin' shoes it ain't no fun. Throw away my pegs, my pegs, my pegs, my awl. In our quest for equal labor rights, songs helped to raise social consciousness on behalf of overworked women and children. “Song of the Shirt” (1843), based on a poem by Thomas Hood and made popular by the socially outspoken Hutchinson Family Singers, drew attention to this demanding trade: With fingers weary and worn, With eye-lids heavy and red, A woman sat in unwomanly rags, Plying her needle and thread. Stitch! Stitch! Stitch! In poverty, hungry and dirty, And still with a voice of dolorous pitch, She sang the song of the shirt. Ella May Wiggins was a factory worker who wrote songs inspired by her life. Of her nine children, four of them died of whooping cough because she was unable to afford medication. A dedicated union worker, her songs were popular with her co-workers, who are said to have sung some at her funeral. She was killed by an armed company mob during a textile mill strike in Gastonia, North Carolina, on September 14, 1929. In “Mill Mother's Lament” (1929) she documented what her life was like: We leave our homes in the morning We kiss our children goodbye While we slave for the bosses Our children scream and cry. And when we draw our money Our grocery bills to pay Not a cent to spend for clothing Not a cent to lay away. Labor activists, as with many other social movements, often depended on song to rally sentiments around a common cause. When the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), commonly known as the Wobblies, organized in 1905, they published The Little Red Song-book the cover of which declares it was intended “To Fan the Flames of Discontent.” In addition to containing songs written to further the union cause, the book also included satires of well-known songs, such as Joe Hill's “Pie in the Sky [When you Die]” (1911), an adaptation of “In the Sweet By and By” (1868). This song, which criticizes the Salvation Army's attempts to undermine the Wobblie's efforts to organize California's unemployed immigrants, hoboes, and migrant workers, endured into the 1930s: Holy rollers and jumpers come out And they sing and they clap and they shout Give your money to Jesus they say He will cure all diseases today. Refrain: You will eat by and by, In that glorious land above the sky (Way up high). Work and pray, live on hay, You'll get pie in the sky when you die. The mining and steel industries have been the subject of numerous songs over the years. Merle Haggard's “Sixteen Tons” (1947) is especially descriptive of the company store model utilized by many mining companies, causing many of their workers to “owe [their] soul to the company store.” The demise of the steel towns and the resulting changes in the lives of many Americans are appropriately characterized in Billy Joel's “Allentown” (1982): Well we're living here in Allentown And they're closing all the factories down. Out in Bethlehem they're killing time, Filling out forms, Standing in line. More recently, songs about white collar workers have been added to the repertoire of blue collar songs, as in “Uptown” (1962), written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann: He gets up each morning and he goes downtown Where everyone's his boss and he's lost in an angry land. He's a little man. But then he comes uptown each ev'nin' to my tenement. Uptown where folks don't have to pay much rent. And when he's there with me he can see that he's everything. Then he's tall, he don't crawl, he's a king. Downtown he's just one of a million guys. He don't get no breaks and he takes all they got to give, ‘Cause he's got to live. More recent still is Dolly Parton's “9 to 5” (1980): Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin' They just use your mind and they never give you credit It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it 9 to 5, for service and devotion You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion Want to move ahead but the boss won't seem to let me I swear sometimes that man is out to get me! “Everything needed repairs ….” Along with the sweeping changes in social and economic circumstances, songs have commemorated new technological advancements, often in amusing ways. Early airplane flights were romanticized in Fred Fisher's vaudeville melody, “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine” (1910), while the telephone inspired many songs with varying uses for the device. C. R. Hodge's “Love by Telephone” (1880) relates the tale of an affair that could only be initiated over the telephone. Charles K. Harris's “Hello Central, Give Me Heaven” (1901) features the new gadget at the same time that it reflects the high mortality rate, as did many songs of this era: Papa I'm so sad and lonely, Sobbed a tearful little child. Since dear mama's gone to heaven, Papa darling you've not smiled; I will speak to her and tell her, That we want her to come home; Just you listen and I'll call her Through the telephone. Refrain: Hello Central, give me heaven, for my mama's there, You can find her with the angels on the golden stair. She'll be glad it's me who's speaking, call her, won't you please, For I want to surely tell her, we're so lonely here. The automobile began inspiring songs almost as soon as it was invented and has not stopped yet (as is evident to those who listen to Car Talk on National Public Radio). One of the first songs, “He'd Have to Get Under, Get Out and Get Under (To Fix Up His Automobile)” (1913) by Maurice Abrahams, with lyrics by Grant Clarke and Edgar Leslie, documents the nagging problems the early owners had with their cars: Johnny O'Connor bought an automobile He took his sweetheart for a ride one Sunday, Johnny was togged up in his best Sunday clothes, She nestled close to his side. Things went just dandy ‘till they got down the road, Then something happened to the old machinery, That engine got his goat, off went his hat and coat, Everything needed repairs. Refrain: He'd have to get under, get out and get under To fix his little machine, He was just dying to cuddle his queen, But every minute, when he'd begin it, He'd have to get under, get out and get under, And fix his automobile In the 1950s and 1960s songs about cars became especially popular, noting advancements in the mechanics as well as changes in social circumstances the automobile energized. The Beach Boys' “little Deuce Coupe” (1963) describes the technical improvements to the car and boasts about ownership, “There's one more thing, I got the pink slip, daddy” (the pink slip being the owner's registration in California). Chuck Berry's “No Particular Place to Go” (1964) illustrates the sense of freedom and idleness that cars introduced: Riding along in my automobile My baby beside me at the wheel I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile My curiosity running wild Cruisin' and playin' the radio With no particular place to go. “For the times they are a-changin' ….” Songs have documented our cultural, social, and emotional changes in the modern era. Songs about urban migration and the social changes affecting women were especially popular, as in William B. Gray's “She's More to Be Pitied than Censured” (1898), James Thornton's “She May Have Seen Better Days” (1896), and Paul Dresser's “She Went to the City” (1904): She went to the city, ‘twas all they would say, She went to the city, far, far away, And then I heard just the faintest sigh from two hearts that yearned, She grew kind o' restless and wanted to go, Said she'd be back in a few weeks or so, She went to the city with a tear in her eye, but she never returned. With the First World War adding to urban migration, Irving Berlin's “I Want to Go Back to Michigan (Down on the Farm)” (1914) expressed the sentiments of one who was tired of the city: Meanwhile, as the war forced many Americans to leave rural areas for the first time, it prompted many to ask, “How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm” (1919) after they've seen “Paree?” I want to go back I want to go back to the farm, Far away from harm With a milkpail on my arm; In 1908, Albert von Tilzer's “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” reflected the country's increased economic prosperity and demonstrated how people were spending their leisure time: Katie Casey was baseball mad Had the fever and had I bad; Just to root for the hometown crew, Ev'ry sou, Katie blew. On a Saturday, her young beau, Called to see if she'd like to go, To see a show but Miss Kate said, “No, I'll tell you what you can do: Take me out to the ballgame, Take me out to the crowd … When Congress passed the federal income tax in 1909 (ratified in 1913), a circumstance exacerbated by rationing during the Great War, songwriters were quick to interpret how it might affect people's lives. “If They Ever Put a Tax on Love” (1918) by Nat Osborne and Sam Ehrlich described some of those concerns in popular song: There's a tax on sugar And there's a little tax on honey Why they even tax your money It seems so funny when they tax your honey and your money too There's a tax on letters soon there'll be a tax on stars above Broadway farmers will be out of place, 'cause there'll be no chickens there to chase. Goodbye forever if they ever put a tax on love. In 1921 Richard Whiting's “Ain't We Got Fun” reflected the spirit of optimism that typified society at the time: Bill collectors gather round and rather haunt the cottage next door, Men the grocer and butcher sent, Men who call for the rent. But within a happy chappy and his bride of only a year, Seem to be so cheerful, Here's an ear full of the chatter you hear. Refrain: Just a few years later “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” (1932) became an enormous hit, reflecting the dramatic changes brought on by the Depression. Ev'ry morning, every evening ain't we got fun? Not much money, oh but honey, ain't we got fun? The rent's unpaid dear, we haven't a bus, But smiles were made dear, for people like us In the winter, in the summer, don't we have fun? Times are bum and getting bummer, still we have fun. There's nothing surer, the rich get rich and the poor get children. In the meantime, in between time, ain't we got fun? More social changes came with the advent of World War II. The changing role of women and their introduction to work outside the home was memorialized in “Rosie the Riveter” (1942): While other girls attend a favorite cocktail bar, Sipping dry martinis, munching caviar; There's a girl who's really putting them to shame— Rosie is her name. All the day long, Whether rain or shine, She's a part of the assembly line. She's making history, Working for victory, Rosie the Riveter. In more recent years, singer/songwriters have described the sweeping changes in our society. In addition to Bob Dylan's thought-provoking “The Times They Are A-Changin'” (1963), there is Marvin Gaye's “What's Goin On?” (1971), and the frustration-laden, “Eve of Destruction” (1965) sung by Barry McGuire but composed by P.F. Sloan. Within in this song Sloan covers several topics, from nuclear war to civil rights to the space program: Think of all the hate there is in Red China! Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama! Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space, But when you return, it's the same old place, The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace, You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace, Hate your next-door-neighbour, but don't forget to say grace, And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend, Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction. Concern over issues of current interest became the inspiration for topical songs. Increasing awareness of unchecked development and the state of the environment is documented in Joni Mitchell's “Big Yellow Taxi” (1970), in which “they paved Paradise and put up a parking lot.” Escalating consumerism is the subject of Janis Joplin's “Mercedes Benz” (1971) and Tracy Chapman's “Mountains O' Things” (1988): Consume more than you need This is the dream Make you pauper Or make you queen I won't die lonely I'll have it all prearranged A grave that's deep and wide enough For me and all my mountains o' things. James Taylor expresses his frustration with commuting in “Traffic Jam” (1977), while the Women's Liberation Movement and “consciousness raising” inspired Helen Reddy's “I Am Woman” (1972). The hardships of urban life are described in Stevie Wonder's “Living for the City” (1973) and the impact of new technology is related in the Beatles-influenced “Information Undertow” by Dada (1998): I turned on ray t.v. Put in a cd Opened up the morning news I tuned in the radio To hear the latest video A seven second sample of blues I'm everywhere where 1 want to be Nowhere especially I'm somewhere in between I'm faded and jaded and way overrated I read it in a magazine. “I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier ….” Few topics have been dealt with more in song than war. While individual battles were memorialized in early conflicts, later wars gave rise to songs dealing with the more general expressions of mourning and patriotism, leading to questions of ethics and civil disobedience. As with most conflicts, songs helped Americans deal with the sadness of departure and loss as they anxiously awaited the war's end. All types of military conflicts have inspired songs about death, departure, protest and support, missing loved ones, and the inconveniences of war. The French and Indian War is remembered through songs such as “The Death of General Wolfe” (c. 1759), while the Revolutionary War featured patriotic, rallying, and event-specific songs, like “As Near Beauteous Boston Lying” (1774) about the Boston Tea Party. The Civil War and the departure of loved ones, combined with a growing trend toward sentimental songs in the nineteenth century, captured the imagination of songwriters resulting in popular “tearjerkers” like “Just Before the Battle Mother” (1864), “The Vacant Chair” (1861), and “Give This to Mother” (1864). The Spanish-American War inspired few songs, but they were charged with romanticized notions of a newly united nation, like “Awake United States” (1898) by Marie Elizabeth Lamb: Eagle soar on high, and sound the battle cry! How proudly sailed the warship Maine, A nation's pride, without a stain! A wreck she lies, her sailors slain, By treach'rous butchers, paid by Spain! Refrain: Eagle, soar on high, And sound the battle cry! Wave the starry flag! In mire it shall not drag! During World War I, songs began to document how citizens felt about war in more general terms. One of the first songs to protest war was “I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier” (1915), introduced in a vaudeville show amidst controversy as it expressed the reluctance of some Americans to support U.S. intervention into World War I. The cover of the sheet music was illustrated by exploding shells bursting around an old gray-haired woman protecting her son: After war was declared, however, pacifists were no longer welcome and this song provided the inspiration for several parodies, including “I Did Not Raise My Boy To Be A Coward,” “I'd Be Proud To Be The Mother of A Soldier,” and “I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier, I'll Send My Girl To Be A Nurse.” I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier, I brought him up to be my darling boy. Who dares to place some musket on his shoulder To shoot some other mother's pride and joy? Let nations arbitrate their future troubles If's time to lay the sword and gun away. There'd be no wars today if mothers all would say, “I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier.” Some songs described displeasure through the course of more than one war. “Gee, But I Wanna Go Home,” although originally composed by a British soldier during World War I, was adapted and became extremely popular during World War II: The coffee that they give you, they say is mighty fine, It's good for cuts and bruises, and it tastes like iodine. Refrain: I don't want no more of army life, gee, but I wanna go home. The biscuits that they give you they say are mighty fine; One rolled off a table and it killed a pal of mine. Frustrations about the effect the war was having on the home front were often dealt with humorously, as in Johnny Mercer's “Duration Blues” (1944), which demonstrated the confusion of rationing stamps during World War II: With World War II came an increased awareness of the importance of African American participation and a song referred to as a “rousing plea for true democracy” (5). Langstom Hughes' text to “Marching Down Freedom's Road” (1942) encouraged equal participation in the war, while it solicited racial equality: This modern age we're going' thru; Has got me in a spin, I ain't too bright to start with, Now here's the state I'm in. For anything and ev'ry thing There's stamps you got to use, The D's and G's are groceries And I think the T's are shoes. You have to be an FBI man, To figure out all the clues And that's the situation, When you got the Duration Blues. United we stand, divided we fall Let's make this land safe for one and all I've got a message and you know its right Black and white together: unite and fight. Hand me my gun, let the bugle blow loud I'm on my way with my head up proud One objective I've got in view Is to keep a hold of freedom for me and you. Refrain: That's why I'm marching; yes I'm marching. Marching down freedom's road. Ain't nobody gonna stop me, Nobody gonna keep me From marching down freedom's road. Ought to be plain, as the nose on your face There's room in this land for every race Some folk think that freedom just ain't right Those are the very people I want to fight. Refrain: Now Hitler may rant, Hirohito may rave I'm going after freedom if it leads me to my grave. The Vietnam War and the social upheaval surrounding it spawned numerous songs from all sides. Not as familiar are songs about the Cold War, like Sting's “Russians” (1985): In Europe and America, there's a growing feeling of hysteria Conditioned to respond to all the threats In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets Mr. Krushchev said we will bury you I don't subscribe to this point of view It would be such an ignorant thing to do If the Russains love their children too. How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy? There is no monopoly of common sense On either side of the political fence We share the same biology Regardless of ideology Believe me when I say to you I hope the Russians love their children too. Megadeth's “Architecture Of Aggression,” composed after the 1991 bombing of Iraq, brings us up-to-date commentary on more current conflicts in the mid-East: Born from the dark, In the black cloak of night. To envelope its prey below, Deliver to the light, To eliminate your enemy, Hit them in their sleep, And when all is won and lost, The spoils of war are yours to keep. Great nations built from the bones of the dead, With mud and straw, blood and sweat, You know your worth when your enemies Praise your Architecture Of Aggression. “Thousands are sailing to Amerikay ….” Since this is a country comprised primarily of immigrants (either voluntary or forced), many songs have described our departures and arrivals, our discomfort with new populations, and our experiences as new Americans. “Thousands Are Sailing to Amerikay” (c.1870s) expresses the emotions of Irish immigrants as they left their native land, while “He Lies in the American Land” (1900) relates a tragedy that may have happened to more than one immigrant once they arrived. The words and music are by Andrew Kovaly, a Slovakian steelworker in Pittsburgh. He wrote this song in his native language, concerning the death of a friend who was run over by an ingot buggy just prior to the arrival of his wife and children from Slovakia. Kovaly was asked to meet them and break the sad news: My God what is this land of America? So many people traveling there. I will go too, for I am still young God the Lord will grant me good luck there. You my wife stay here till you hear from me When you get my letter put everything in order Mount a raven black steed, a horse like the wind Fly across the ocean to join me here. But when she arrived in this strange land Here in McKeesport this valley This valley of fire, Only his grave, his blood did she find Oh bitterly she cried. “Ah my husband, what have you done to this family of yours? What can you say to these children, to these children you orphaned?” “Tell them, my wife, not to wait for me, tell them I lie here in the American land.” In an 1870 broadside for “Twelve Hundred More,” Californians grumbled over the arrival of Chinese immigrants, who could potentially take away their jobs: Oh workmen dear, and did you hear, the news that's goin' ‘round? Another China steamer has been landed in this town. Today I read the paper and it grieves my heart full sore, To see upon the title page, oh, just “Twelve Hundred More.” Oh California's coming down as you can plainly see; They are hiring all the Chinamen and discharging you and me. But strife will be in every town throughout the Pacific Shore, And the cry of young and old shall be, “Oh, damn Twelve Hundred More!” Other songs used humor to recognize how immigrants were sometimes better prepared to be Americans than those who were native born. “The Argentines, the Portuguese, and the Greeks” (1920) pokes fun at the pervasiveness of these new populations, as it comments on those who greet them: There's the Argentines, and the Portuguese, the Armenians and the Greeks One sells you papers one shines your shoes Another shaves the whiskers off your cheeks When you ride again in a subway train notice who has all the seats And you'll find that they're held by the Argentines, and the Portuguese and the Greeks. There's the Argentines, and the Portuguese the Armenians and the Greeks They don't know the language, they don't know the law But they vote in the country of the free And a funny thing When we start to sing “My Country 'tis of thee” none of us know the words But the Argentines, and the Portuguese and the Greeks. While most of the new arrivals were happy to be here, Morgan and Hoier's “Don't Bite the Hand That's Feeding You” (1915) echoes sentiments from Emma Lazarus's poem “The New Colossus” (1883), part of which appears on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, as it reminds us all that we should be appreciative: Last night as I lay asleeping, A wonderful dream came to me, I saw Uncle Sammy weeping For his children from over the sea; They had come to him friendless and starving, When from tyrant's oppression they fled, But now they abuse and revile him, Till at last in just anger he said: Refrain: If you don't like your Uncle Sammy, Then go back to your home o'er the sea To the land from where you came, Whatever be its name; But don't be ungrateful to me! If you don't like the stars in Old Glory, If you don't like the Red, White and Blue, Then don't act like the cur in the story Don't bite the hand that's feeding you. “When you walk through a storm ….” Since America's earliest settlement, songs of faith have provided encouragement. Yet things have changed since the Bay Psalm Book of 1640 and the hymns of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. More recent inspiration has been drawn from popular culture, like Irving Berlin's “God Bless America” (originally composed in 1918, but revised in 1938), Charlie Daniel's “In America” (1980), and Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the USA” (1984). Musicals were an abundant source of inspiration, as with George M. Cohan's “You're a Grand Old Flag” (1906), composed for his musical George. Washington, Jr. The text initially read “you're a grand old rag” and was sung while Cohan wrapped the flag around himself. Audiences felt he was insulting the flag, so he changed the text to “you're a grand old flag.” This song was especially popular at the time due to the general increase in nationalistic activities: the Pledge of Allegiance was becoming a standard in the classrooms and Flag Day was established around the same time (1916). The establishment of these nationalistic symbols was instrumental in increasing the patriotic zeal evident in this song. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz (1939) and “You'll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel (1945) were also well-received, as were songs from animated movies like “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). These songs instilled optimism, faith, and hope during moments of crisis. “Let meaning shine from every line ….” There is nothing that so aptly reflects what Americans are experiencing and feeling than the songs we sing and listen to. Songs have entertained us, distracted us, and inspired us. They reflect the fabric of our lives as they provide a chronicle of the past and are a most effective tool for acquainting students with that history and culture. While this discussion has only considered a sampling of songs that resonate with U.S. history, there are countless other examples that the reader can seek out. As Harold Rome so aptly expressed it: “sing me a song of social significance, there's nothing else that will do.” Endnotes 1 “Sing Me a Song of Social Significance” from Pins and Needles, by Harold Rome. A production for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, it opened in New York on November 27, 1937, and ran for 1108 performances. 2 H. T. Burleigh, “De Gospel Train” in The Spirituals of Harry T. Burleigh: Low Voice (Miami: Belwin Mills, 1984). De gospel train am a comin' I hear it jus' at han' I hear de carwheels rumblin' An' rollin' thoo' de lan' Den git on bo'd lit'l' children. Git on b'd lit'l' children, Dere's room for many a mo' Refrain: I hear de train acomin' She's comin' ‘roun’ de curve, She's loosen'd all her steam an' brakes An' strainin' ev'ry nerve. De fare is cheap an' all can go, De rich an' poor are dere, No second class abo'd dis train, No dif'rence in de fare. 3 The year was often changed in different versions of this song. 4 Although the lyrics mention 1801, the actual date of this song is unknown. While the first mechanical shoe pegger appearedin 1833, the first shoemaking machine did not come into use in America until 1858. 5 Josh White, as quoted in the liner notes to That's Why We're Marching: World War II and the American Folk Song Movement (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Folkways, 1966). Sources for Further Reference Chase Gilbert. ,  America's Music: Front the Pilgrims to the Present ,  1987 Rev. 3rd ed. Urbana University of Illinois Press Cohen Norm. ,  Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong ,  1981 Urbana University of Illinois Press Crawford Richard. ,  America's Musical Life: A History ,  2001 New York W. W. Norton Finson Jon. ,  The Voices That Are Gone: Themes in Nineteenth-Century Popular Song ,  1994 New York Oxford University Press Fowke Edith,  Glazer Joe. ,  Songs of Work and Protest ,  1973 New York Dover Publications  Reprint  A reprint of the work originally published in 1960 by the labor Education Division of Roosevelt University under the title Songs of Work and Freedom. Give the Ballot to Mothers: Songs of the Suffragists: A History in Song ,  1998 Springfield, MO Denlinger's Publishers  Compiled by Francie Wolff, with accompanying material by Sheila Tobias Hamm Charles. ,  Yesterdays: Popular Song in America ,  1979 New York Norton Levy Lester. ,  S. Give Me Yesterday: American History in Song 1890–1920 ,  1975 Norman University of Oklahoma Press Wilder Alec.  Maher James T.. ,  American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900–1950 ,  1990 New York Oxford University Press Recommended Recordings Carter Family,  Longing for Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings, 1934   CD. Rounder CD 1071. ℗1998 by Rounder. Bayes Nora, et al. ,  Come, Josephine In My Flying Machine: Inventions and Topics in Popular Songs, 1910–1920   New World Records, NW 233, ℗1977. Hill Joe, et al. ,  Don't Mourn—Organize! Songs of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill   CD. Smithsonian Folkways CD SF 40026. Garland Judy, et al. ,  For Me and My Gal: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack   CD. Rhino Movie Music, R2-72204. Guthrie Woody, et al. ,  That's Why We're Marching: WWII and the American Folk Song Movement   CD. Smithsonian Folkways, SF 40021. Guthrie Woody. ,  This Land Is Your Land. The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1   Smithsonian Folkways, SF CD 40100. Hutchinson Family Singers,  The Hutchinson Family Singers ,  1986 Minneapolis Hutchinson Family Singers, Inc.  Cassette. Johnson Bill,  Gibson Steve. ,  The Jive is Jumping: RCA and Bluebird Groups   1939–52. CD. Westside, WESA 813 Lomax Alan. ,  Voices from the American South   CD. Rounder CD 1701 Mayfield Curtis. ,  The Anthology   CD. MCA, MCA D2 10664 McNeil Keith,  Rusty. ,  Moving West   CD. WEM Records, WEM 505C Mercer Johnny,  Kahn Donald. ,  Sam's Got Him   78 RPM. Capitol, CAP-260-2-A. ℗1944 Schrader Arthur. ,  American Revolutionary War Songs to Cultivate the Sensations of Freedom   CD. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, F-5279 Seeger Pete. ,  American Industrial Ballads   CD. Smithsonian Folkways, SF 40058 Stuart Herbert, et al. ,  Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition   78 RPM. New World Records, NW 222 Figures and Tables View largeDownload slide The Industrial Workers of the World used the songs printed in The Little Red Songbook to unite labor activists around a common cause. (Image courtesy of the Industrial Workers of the World, www.iww.org.) View largeDownload slide The Industrial Workers of the World used the songs printed in The Little Red Songbook to unite labor activists around a common cause. (Image courtesy of the Industrial Workers of the World, www.iww.org.) View largeDownload slide Although some songs criticized and lamented warfare, many others have emphasized positive impressions and patriotic feeling, even glorifying battle. (Image courtesy of the Historic American Sheet Music Collection, Duke University.) View largeDownload slide Although some songs criticized and lamented warfare, many others have emphasized positive impressions and patriotic feeling, even glorifying battle. (Image courtesy of the Historic American Sheet Music Collection, Duke University.) View largeDownload slide These immigrants brought their instruments and music with them to the northern Great Plains. (Image courtesy of the Fred Hultstrand History in Pictures Collection, NDIRS-NDSU, Fargo.) View largeDownload slide These immigrants brought their instruments and music with them to the northern Great Plains. (Image courtesy of the Fred Hultstrand History in Pictures Collection, NDIRS-NDSU, Fargo.) Copyright © 2005, Organization of American Historians
TI - Songs With Social Significance: An Introduction
JF - OAH Magazine of History
DO - 10.1093/maghis/19.4.9
DA - 2005-07-01
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VL - 19
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DP - DeepDyve
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