Chords For A Song

[slrebad]

Hi,
Can anyone point me in the right direction to find the chords for Southern Soldier? I have the CD, but cannot pick them off by ear like I used to. This would be for a guitar.
Thank You,
Bill Feuchtenberger
1st South Carolina Volunteers

[Silas]

Re: Chords For A Song

It's often recorded on CW dvd's, played at many events and compiled in modern songbooks of CW songs, but I'm not convinced the song is period. The reason is that I've looked online for the original sheet music and haven't found it in the usual places. Such a catchy tune with a strong beat and strong rhymes is something which would have been wildfire and reprinted many times over. It's absence in the usual places doesn't mean that it isn't period, but does cause me to wonder if it's more of a post war, UCV song than something from the period.

I'm looking at a copy in the Mel Bay book, Ballads & Songs of the Civil War, which has chords. Song is in the key of D. I've seen a page of the song available online in a google book preview. Try your local library or get a copy at your next reenactment because I've seen the Mel Bay book being sold by many mainstream sutlers.

Another source for period music with chords is John and Elaine Masciale's "I Like That Good Old Song." It hit the streets about a year ago. It's a great compilation. All the songs are in G and D. All are chorded. All have period lyrics. All are period songs. Noticeably absent is The Southern Soldier.

[Bmanz1085]

Re: Chords For A Song

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000728/default.html

LOC shows it as published by George Dunn and Company, Richmond VA in 1863 Lyrics by CW Alexander

The song was written to the tune, The Boy with The Auburn hair

[Silas]

Re: Chords For A Song

Different song entirely. One is very buoyant with a strong, military marching beat and can be stirring, especially when sung in the presence of alcohol. The other is one of those parlor songs which one could imagine being sung by a fair haired woman accompanied by a harp player.

This is the Southern Soldier :

I'll place my knapsack on my back
My rifle on my shoulder
I'll march away to the firing line
And kill that Yankee soldier
And kill that Yankee soldier
I'll march away to the firing line
And kill that Yankee soldier

I'll bid farewell to my wife and child
Farewell to my aged mother
And go and join in the bloody strife
Till this cruel war is over
Till this cruel war is over
I'll go and join in the bloody strife
Till this cruel war is over

If I am shot on the battlefield
And I should not recover
Oh, who will protect my wife and child
And care for my aged mother
And care for my aged mother
Oh, who will protect my wife and child
And care for my aged mother

And if our Southern cause is lost
And Southern rights denied us
We'll be ground beneath the tyrant's heel
For our demands of justice
For our demands of justice
We'll be ground beneath the tyrant's heel
For our demands of justice

Before the South shall bow her head
Before the tyrants harm us
I'll give my all to the Southern cause
And die in the Southern army
And die in the Southern army
I'll give my all to the Southern cause
And die in the Southern army

If I must die for my home and land
My spirit will not falter
Oh, here's my heart and here's my hand
Upon my country's altar
Upon my country's altar
Oh, here's my heart and here's my hand
Upon my country's altar

Then Heaven be with us in the strife
Be with the Southern soldier
We'll drive the mercenary horde
Beyond our Southern border
Beyond our Southern border
We'll drive the mercenary horde
Beyond our Southern border.

Such a pro-Confederate, glass pounding song like this ought to have been popular during the war, but I haven't found a copy of sheet music for this song. Maybe someone else will. The Southern Soldier Boy is a period, schmaltzy tune :

Bob Roebuck is my sweetheart's name,
He's off to the wars and gone,
He's fighting for his Nanny dear,
His sword is buckled on,
He's fighting for his own true love.
His foes he does defy,
He is the darling of my heart,
My Southern soldier boy.

Yo ho! Yo ho! Yo ho ho ho ho ho ho
He is my only joy
He is the darling of my heart,
My Southern Soldier Boy

When Bob comes home from war's alarms,
We'll start anew in life,
I'll give myself right up to him,
A dutiful, loving wife.
I'll try my best to please my dear,
For he is my only joy,
He is the darling of my heart,
My Southern soldier boy.

Oh, if in battle he was slain,
I am sure that I should die,
But I am sure he'll come again
And cheer my weeping eye.
But should he fall in this our glorious cause,
He still would be my joy,
For many a sweetheart mourns the loss
Of a Southern soldier boy.

I hope for the best, and so do all
Whose hopes are in the field,
I know that we shall win the day,
For Southrons never yield.
And when we think of those that are away,
We'll look above for joy,
And I'm mighty glad that my Bobby is
A Southern soldier boy.

[GenuineInformation]

Re: Chords For A Song

I found this thread on mudcat.org that has a song with a similar lyric:

VERSE 1
My pretty little pink I once't did think
That you and I would marry
Now, I've lost all hope of that
I have no time to tarry

VERSE 2
I'll take my knapsack, on my back
My rifle on my shoulder
I'll march away t' the ole Rio Grande
There I'll be a soldier

VERSE 3
There, coffee grows on tall oak trees
An' th river's flowin' brandy
Th rocks an' hills are coverd with gold
Th girls are sweeter than candy

VERSE 4
Now, th war's all over an' we'll turn back
T' th place where we first started
So, open th ring an' choose another
To relieve th broken hearted

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=31537

Also, another permutation of that song can be found in this thread:

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34525

It doesn't seem like these lyrics will fit perfectly with the version of "The Southern Soldier" I've heard played by the 2nd SC Regimental String Band, but, it does seem to fit with the little snippet of a song titled "The Secesh (Shiloh)" performed by John Hartford on the Songs of the Civil War companion to Ken Burns' Civil War documentary.

Again, not sure how far that gets us so far as fixing a date to the song. But it is interesting.

[Bmanz1085]

Re: Chords For A Song

My mistake, I need to read a little more deeply...I have heard that version as you say on CD, actually a Bobby Horton Cassette, dating myself..

I did find this LOC link on Southern Soldier and you can play the recording from 1937...

http://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197129#about-this-item

Beyond undocumented claims I can't find a date for the origin

[GenuineInformation]

Re: Chords For A Song

Found some more info on Mudcat.org. See http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34525

Read the thread for yourself, but the general impression I get is this:

The song "My Pretty Little Pink" can be dated in print as far back as 1889, and that version contains a reference to the Mexican war. However, an even earlier version also seems to exist called "Marching Down to Old Quebec" that would seem to place the date some time during the War of 1812. What is tougher to pin down is actually when the song evolved--was it during the War of 1812/Mexican War/Civil War? Or was it written later as a wistful look back at those times?

More questions than answers, I'm afraid.

-JSK

[Silas]

Re: Chords For A Song

Joseph, the origins of the song have more questions than answers. I noticed some of the threads on Mud Cat and saw the tune has really been folked out. This is what happens to tunes with a good beat and catchy rhymes. People want to make more verses.

Bob, I saw that one, too, thinking it was the song. Then I caught an ear worm from the Bobby Horton version. Nope, not it.

I remember purchasing a few Bobby Horton cassettes (!) back in the day and before I got into the hobby. In those days, Bobby Horton was The Man. Knowing a little about music now that I didn't know then, his style of period songs leaves much to be desired. However, it's surprising how many of the songs he recorded have solid, verifiable roots. He did some serious digging to find some of those songs. He's an undeniable scholar and a talented musician - far better than I'll ever be - but I'd rather hear those same songs played on period instruments with gut strings, not metal. Modern steel string guitars and high pitched, steel string banjos don't scream period to these ears. Don't even get me started on his synthesized version of Dixie. That song is fingernails to chalk board.

We could use more period music on period instruments. There are many period songs out there waiting to be rediscovered and made popular again.

[Rough and Ready Boy]

Re: Chords For A Song

The 2nd SC plays this song in D. I use a capo, or "cheater" as Doc Watson calls it, on the 2nd fret and play a C chord. If you play it without a capo each chord would go up a step so C=D, F=G, G=A, and Am=Bm.

C
I'll place my knapsack on my back,
F
My rifle on my shoulder,
C
I'll march away to the firing line,
G
And kill that Yankee soldier,
Am F
And kill that Yankee soldier,
C Am
I'll march away to the firing line,
C G C
And kill that Yankee soldier.


Hope this helps,
Doug Davis
26th NC
The Latta Tenors