Table of Contents
This week on Three Tune Tuesday: songs that changed sides. From “Yankee Doodle” to “Swing Low” to “Battle Cry of Freedom,” we explore how tunes get twisted, repurposed, and reborn with new meanings—sometimes in ways their creators never imagined.
Lyrics
Yankee Doodle
(the original lyrics)
The Farmer and his Son’s return from a visit to the CAMP.
Father and I went down to camp,
Along with Captain Gooding,
And there we see the men and boys
As thick as hasty pudding.
Yankey doodle keep it up,
Yankey doodle dandy,
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy
And there we see a thousand men,
As rich as ‘Squire David,
And what they wasted every day,
I wish it had been saved.
Yankey doodle, &c.
The ‘lasses they eat every day,
Would keep an house a winter;
They have as much that I’ll be bound,
They eat it when they’re mind to.
Yankey doodle, &c.
And there we see a swamping gun,
Large as a log of maple,
Upon a ducid little cart,
A load for father’s cattle.
Yankey doodle, &c.
And every time they shoot it off,
It takes a horn of powder,
And makes a noise like father’s gun,
Only a nation louder.
Yankey doodle, &c.
I went as nigh to one myself,
As ‘Siah’s underpinning;
And father when as nigh again,
I thought the duce was in him.
Yankey doodle, &c.
Cousin Simon grew so bold,
I thought he would have cock’d it;
It scar’d me so I shriek’d it off,
And hung by father’s pocket.
Yankey doodle, &c.
And captain Davis had a gun,
He kind of clapt his hand on’t,
And stuck a crooked stabbing iron
Upon the little end on’t.
Yankey doodle, &c.
And there I see a pumpkin shell,
As big as mother’s bason,
And every time they touch’d it off,
They scamper’d like the nation.
Yankey doodle, &c.
I see a little barrel too,
The heads were made of leather,
They knock upon with little clubs,
And call’d the folks together.
Yankey doodle, &c.
And there was captain Washington,
And gentlefolks about him,
They say he’s grown so tarnal proud,
He will not ride without them.
Yankey doodle, &c.
He got him on his meeting clothes,
Upon a slapping stallion,
He set the world along in rows,
In hundreds and in millions.
Yankey doodle, &c.
The flaming ribbons in his hat,
They look’d so taring fine ah,
I wanted pockily to get,
To give to my Jemimah.
Yankey doodle, &c.
I see another snarl of men,
A digging graves they told me,
So tarnal long, so tarnal deep,
They ‘tended they should hold me.
Yankey doodle, &c.
If scar’d me so I hook’d it off,
Nor stopt as I remember,
Nor turn’d about ’till I got home,
Lock’d up in mother’s chamber.
Yankey doodle, &c.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Refrain:
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Refrain
I’m sometimes up, I’m sometimes down
Coming for to carry me home
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Coming for to carry me home
Refrain
I looked over Jordan and what did I see?
Coming for to carry me home
A band of angels coming after me
Coming for to carry me home
Battle Cry of Freedom
Union Version
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 Union 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 free men 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 rebel crew
From the land that we love best,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.
CHORUS
Confederate Version
Our flag is proudly floating on the land and on the main,
Shout, shout, the battle cry of Freedom;
Beneath it oft we’ve conquered and will conquer oft again,
Shout, shout, the battle cry of Freedom.
Chorus:
Our Dixie forever, she’s never at a loss
Down with the eagle and up with the cross.
We’ll rally ‘round the bonny flag, we’ll rally once again
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom.
Our gallant boys have marched to the rolling of the drums,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom;
And the leaders in charge cry, “Come boys, come!”
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom.
CHORUS
They have laid down their lives on the bloody battle field,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom;
Their motto is resistance—“To tyrants we’ll not yield!”
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom.
CHORUS
While our boys have responded and to the field have gone,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom;
Our noble women also have aided them at home.
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom.
CHORUS