A-Moldering in the Grave

[TallTallMan]

I've always wondered about the deal with John Brown's Body. I'm sure most union soldiers did not agree with his extreme tactics-if Lincoln did not, and he was not popular until late 64-so why would they be singing about him? And if hardly a soul fought to free slaves, why even more?

i know some upper North regiments sang it, but why is it acted like in histories it was oh-so-popular? A song with totally different lyrics might be certain proof.

How do you all feel?

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

John Brown wouldn't have denied it. He was proud of what he did.

 

[TallTallMan]

I've always wondered about the deal with John Brown's Body. I'm sure most union soldiers did not agree with his extreme tactics-if Lincoln did not, and he was not popular until late 64-so why would they be singing about him? And if hardly a soul fought to free slaves, why even more?

i know some upper North regiments sang it, but why is it acted like in histories it was oh-so-popular? A song with totally different lyrics might be certain proof.

How do you all feel?

View attachment 481366

Just a meme...but besides the point.

 

[GwilymT]

The song originally wasn't about the John Brown you are thinking of. However, as the war waged on and Union soldiers, especially in the west, saw the true reality of slavery and accepted the mantle of fighting not only to restore the Union but also to set human beings free, the song took on a different meaning.

 

[TallTallMan]

The song originally wasn't about the John Brown you are thinking of. However, as the war waged on and Union soldiers, especially in the west, saw the true reality of slavery and accepted the mantle of fighting not only to restore the Union but also to set human beings free, the song took on a different meaning.

I see what you mean...but what other JB could it possibly be?

 

[TallTallMan]

Early lyrics, for study:

John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on.

CHORUS: Glory, glory, hallelujah,
Glory, glory, hallelujah,
Glory, glory, hallelujah,
His soul goes marching on.

He's gone to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord,
He's gone to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord,
He's gone to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord,
His soul goes marching on. Chorus.

John Brown's knapsack is strapped upon his back,
John Brown's knapsack is strapped upon his back,
John Brown's knapsack is strapped upon his back,
His soul goes marching on. Chorus.

John Brown died that the slaves might be free,
John Brown died that the slaves might be free,
John Brown died that the slaves might be free,
His soul goes marching on. Chorus.

The stars above in Heaven now are looking kindly down,
The stars above in Heaven now are looking kindly down,
The stars above in Heaven now are looking kindly down,
His soul goes marching on. Chorus.


Later lyrics, by William W. Patton:

Old John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave,
His soul is marching on.

John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true and brave,
And Kansas knows his valor when he fought her rights to save;
Now, tho the grass grows green above his grave,
His soul is marching on.

He captured Harper's Ferry, with his nineteen men so few,
And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru;
They hung him for a traitor, themselves the traitor crew,
But his soul is marching on.

John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see,
Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be,
And soon thruout the Sunny South the slaves shall all be free,
For his soul is marching on.

The conflict that he heralded he looks from heaven to view,
On the army of the Union with its flag red, white and blue.
And heaven shall ring with anthems o'er the deed they mean to do,
For his soul is marching on.

Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,
The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,
For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,
And his soul is marching on.

 

[GwilymT]

I see what you mean...but what other JB could it possibly be?

Apparently it was just some private from Massachusetts.

History of "John Brown's Body" | American Experience | PBS

The song, "John Brown's Body," actually belonged to a young Scotsman in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia who shared the famous abolitionist's name.

www.pbs.org

And there are tons of variations on the lyrics, over and above those you've kindly listed.

 

[TallTallMan]

Apparently it was just some private from Massachusetts.

History of "John Brown's Body" | American Experience | PBS

The song, "John Brown's Body," actually belonged to a young Scotsman in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia who shared the famous abolitionist's name.

www.pbs.org

And there are tons of variations on the lyrics, over and above those you've kindly listed.

That's odd. I had no idea!

Even though there may be a few soldiers of abolitionist thought, their approval of Brown's methods are questionable, since not everybody did.

 

[Lampasas Bill]

I imagine they sang it because it really ticked off the local Southerners.

 

[TallTallMan]

I imagine they sang it because it really ticked off the local Southerners.

Here comes John Brown and the Nat Turners!

 

[Library Lady]

Slight detour here: Have you ever read the full lyrics for Dixie? Beyond the first verse and the chorus? It's not about the glorious South. It's all about a woman's questionable taste in men.

Daniel Decatur Emmett – (I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

“Dixie” was written on a cold rainy March morning in New York in 1859. It was written for a blackface minstrel show, and it quickly became popular in the north. It didn’t take

genius.com

But there's a lot to be said for songs that have a good beat.

 

[TallTallMan]

Slight detour here: Have you ever read the full lyrics for Dixie? Beyond the first verse and the chorus? It's not about the glorious South. It's all about a woman's questionable taste in men.

Daniel Decatur Emmett – (I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

“Dixie” was written on a cold rainy March morning in New York in 1859. It was written for a blackface minstrel show, and it quickly became popular in the north. It didn’t take

genius.com

But there's a lot to be said for songs that have a good beat.

Yeah, I always noticed it was never official! No wonder; it's tasteless by Victorian genteel standards.

 

[Mrs. V]

Slight detour here: Have you ever read the full lyrics for Dixie? Beyond the first verse and the chorus? It's not about the glorious South. It's all about a woman's questionable taste in men.

Daniel Decatur Emmett – (I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

“Dixie” was written on a cold rainy March morning in New York in 1859. It was written for a blackface minstrel show, and it quickly became popular in the north. It didn’t take

genius.com

But there's a lot to be said for songs that have a good beat.

Yup. I think that is why Lincoln liked it..it's actually rather funny..

 

[Claude Bauer]

Here comes John Brown and the Nat Turners!

Don't know about Nat Turner, but here comes John Brown anyway--Sat. Sept 16 in Middletown, MD, along with Frederick Douglas, Thaddeus Stevens, an African American soldier, Mathew Brady, a musician, and other civilian reenactors, such as myself portraying a conductor on the Underground Railroad and supporter of the Wide Awakes. Each interpreter will do a 1/2 hour presentation on their character followed by Q&A and discussion. Don't know where you're located, but if you're in the area, you should stop by.

I've known the fellow portraying John Brown for many years through reenacting. Here's his bio from the event's program:

"Doug Dobbs has been a local high school history teacher for almost 20 years. For the last six years he has been researching and interpreting the Abolitionist John Brown. Doug has led numerous tours of Harper's Ferry and the Kennedy Farm. In 2019 he travelled to Capt. Brown's boyhood home of Hudson, OH as well as various sites in Kansas where Brown operated as a guerilla leader in the late 1850's. Dobbs brings a unique blend of academic research, field exploration and psychological insight to his interpretation of Brown's life and times."

We're excited to have Doug join us as John Brown and are very much looking forward to his presentation.

The abolitionist and anti-slavery movements were complex historical phenomena, not well-suited to reductionist statements like, "hardly a soul fought to free slaves." There was a broad spectrum of thought regarding slavery, abolition and emancipation that included a range of religious, economic, and political motivations and beliefs.

From a musical point of view, it's possible that the song was originally written about the young soldier named John Brown and not the radical abolitionist, but it is most strongly associated with the actions of the John Brown who raided Harper's Ferry.

 

[Jantzen64]

I imagine they sang it because it really ticked off the local Southerners.

It's got a catchy tune, and a good counterpoint to Dixie and Bonnie Blue Flag. And, to your point, an individual soldier may not care at all about slavery as a moral or political concept in the abstract, but it became pretty clear that a blow to slavery was a blow to the Southern cause.

 

[Doc_Ralph]

Slight detour here: Have you ever read the full lyrics for Dixie? Beyond the first verse and the chorus? It's not about the glorious South. It's all about a woman's questionable taste in men.

Daniel Decatur Emmett – (I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

“Dixie” was written on a cold rainy March morning in New York in 1859. It was written for a blackface minstrel show, and it quickly became popular in the north. It didn’t take

genius.com

But there's a lot to be said for songs that have a good beat.

Yeah and good to march to:

Here's what the Boy Scouts ref (WHAT?) goes:

"Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton,
Old times there are not forgotten, (Alt Original:Cinnamon seed and sandy bottom,)
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land."

"In Dixie Land, where I was born in,
early on one frosty mornin',
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land."

"I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
to live and die in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie"

Optional Verses

"Ole Missus marry "Will the weaver"
Willum was a gay deceiver
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"But when he put his arm around 'er,
He smiled fierce as a forty pounder,
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaver
But that did not seem to grieve 'er
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"Ole Missus acted the foolish part
And died for a man that broke her heart
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"Now here's a health to the next ole Missus
An' all the gals that want to kiss us;
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"But if you want to drive 'way sorrow
Come and hear this song tomorrow
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"There's buckwheat cakes and Injun batter,
Makes you fat or a little fatter
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"


"Then hoe it down and scratch your gravel,
To Dixie's Land I'm bound to travel,
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

Very catchy tune and I picked it up quickly on my recorder!

There is a Union Dixie that is not nice!

OTC
Spotsy

 

[TallTallMan]

Yeah and good to march to:

Here's what the Boy Scouts ref (WHAT?) goes:

"Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton,
Old times there are not forgotten, (Alt Original:Cinnamon seed and sandy bottom,)
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land."

"In Dixie Land, where I was born in,
early on one frosty mornin',
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land."

"I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
to live and die in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie.
Away, away, away down south in Dixie"

Optional Verses

"Ole Missus marry "Will the weaver"
Willum was a gay deceiver
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"But when he put his arm around 'er,
He smiled fierce as a forty pounder,
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaver
But that did not seem to grieve 'er
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"Ole Missus acted the foolish part
And died for a man that broke her heart
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"Now here's a health to the next ole Missus
An' all the gals that want to kiss us;
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"But if you want to drive 'way sorrow
Come and hear this song tomorrow
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

"There's buckwheat cakes and Injun batter,
Makes you fat or a little fatter
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"


"Then hoe it down and scratch your gravel,
To Dixie's Land I'm bound to travel,
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land"

Very catchy tune and I picked it up quickly on my recorder!

There is a Union Dixie that is not nice!

OTC
Spotsy

 

[Doc_Ralph]

I am not liking this version of my "revelry" tune! There are still houses in Spotslultucky that fly the Stars n Bars.
I believe that:

"Just before the battle mother
I was drinking Mountain Dew
When I heard the Rebels marching
To the rear I quickly flew
Where the stragglers were a lyin
Thinking of their homes and wives
'Twas not the Rebels that we feared
Dear Mother
But for our own dear precious lives
Farewell Mother for you will never
See my name among the slain
For if I can just skeedattle
Dear Mother
I'll come home again …"

 

[GwilymT]

As long as they still want to hang Jeff from a sour apple tree

 

[GwilymT]

I am not liking this version of my "revelry" tune! There are still houses in Spotslultucky that fly the Stars n Bars.
I believe that:

"Just before the battle mother
I was drinking Mountain Dew
When I heard the Rebels marching
To the rear I quickly flew
Where the stragglers were a lyin
Thinking of their homes and wives
'Twas not the Rebels that we feared
Dear Mother
But for our own dear precious lives
Farewell Mother for you will never
See my name among the slain
For if I can just skeedattle
Dear Mother
I'll come home again …"

Funny, ain't no rebels with their own country, but if drinking Mountain Dew does it, have at it.

Nice lyrics, thanks for the chuckle.