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EspañolJOHN BROWN'S BODY
:''For the reggae musical group, see 'John Brown's Body (band)'.''
'"John Brown's Body"' (originally known as "John Brown's Song") is a famous Union marching song of the American Civil War. It was for many years generally assumed to have been created as a tribute to the abolitionist acts of John Brown, a claim now disputed by some historians (see below). The song was found offensive by Major General George B. McClellan while he was in command of the Army of the Potomac, and he tried to ban it, to little effect (Sears, Stephen, ''Landscape Turned Red'').
The tune, probably written by William Steffe in 1855–56, for a revivalist hymn ''Say, Brothers will you meet us'', was later also used for ''The Battle Hymn of the Republic'', ''Solidarity Forever'', and ''The Battle Hymn of Cooperation''.
There is also revisionist evidence that this song was originally created by a group of Union soldiers (with only the first verse), mocking a comrade-in-arms who shared the name "John Brown".
As musicologist Irwin Silber states:
''John Brown's Body' was not composed originally about the fiery Abolitionist at all. The namesake for the song, it turns out, was Sergeant John Brown, a Scotsman, a member of the Second Battalion, Boston Light Infantry Volunteer Militia.''
Columnist Mark Steyn elaborates:[1]:
''This group enlisted with the Twelfth Massachusetts Regiment and formed a glee club at Fort Warren in Boston. Brown was second tenor, and the subject of a lot of good-natured joshing, including a song about him mould’ring in his grave, which at that time had just one verse, plus chorus. They called it 'The John Brown Song'. On July 18th 1861, at a regimental march past the Old State House in Boston, the boys sang the song and the crowd assumed, reasonably enough, that it was inspired by the life of John Brown the Kansas abolitionist, not John Brown the Scots tenor. [...] Later on, various other verses were written about the famous John Brown and the original John Brown found his comrades’ musical tribute to him gradually annexed by the other guy.''
Evidence to that effect has also been presented by Sarah Vowell on ''This American Life''.[2].
The following lyrics are from the Library of Congress:[3]
:''Tune: Brothers, will you meet me''
: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;
:His soul's marching on!
::('Chorus')
::Glory, halle—hallelujah! Glory, halle—hallelujah!
::Glory, halle—hallelujah! his soul's 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's 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's marching on!
::('Chorus')
:His pet lambs will meet him on the way;
:His pet lambs will meet him on the way;
:His pet lambs will meet him on the way;
:They go marching on!
::('Chorus')
:They will hang Jeff. Davis to a sour apple tree!
:They will hang Jeff. Davis to a sour apple tree!
:They will hang Jeff. Davis to a sour apple tree!
:As they march along!
::('Chorus')
:Now, three rousing cheers for the Union;
:Now, three rousing cheers for the Union;
:Now, three rousing cheers for the Union;
:As we are marching on!
Inevitably, and as hinted above, many verses to the song exist other than the "official" ones quoted above - often either obscene, or strongly abolitionist. One of the latter, obviously thoroughly "annexed" is this full version from another source (the book of Victor Hugo's "Letter to America against John Brown hanging"). It is interesting, but unlikely to have ever been sung on the march:
:John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave,
:John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave,
:John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave,
:His soul is marching on!
::('Chorus')
::Glory, glory, hallelujah!
::Glory, glory, hallelujah!
::Glory, glory, hallelujah!
::His soul is marching on!
:He captured Harper's Ferry with his nineteen men so true,
:And he frightened old Virginia till she trembled through and through,
:They hung him for a traitor, themselves the traitor crew,
:But his soul is marching on!
::'Chorus'
:John Brown died that the slave might be free,
:John Brown died that the slave might be free,
:John Brown died that the slave might be free,
:And his soul is 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,
:On the grave of old John Brown.
::'Chorus'
:Now has come the glorious jubilee,
:Now has come the glorious jubilee,
:Now has come the glorious jubilee,
:When all mankind are free.
::'Chorus'
An obviously less morbid and political version about a baby with a cold is often sung by school-age children. The "Baby" version includes sound effects and pantomime.[4]
Sailors are known to have adapted "John Brown's Body" into a sea shanty - specifically, into a "Capstan Shanty", used during anchor-raising.
★ Scholes, Percy A. (1955). "John Brown's Body", ''The Oxford Companion of Music''. Ninth edition. London: Oxford University Press.
★ Stutler, Boyd B. (1960). ''Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! The Story of "John Brown's Body" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic''." Cincinnati: The C. J. Krehbiel Co.
★ Vowell, Sarah. (2005). "John Brown's Body," in ''The Rose and the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad''. Ed. by Sean Wilentz and Greil Marcus. New York: W. W. Norton.
★ William Weston Patton
★ Solidarity Forever - a song using the same tune with a different lyric.
★ The Battle Hymn of Cooperation - a rallying song on consumer cooperation using the same tune
★ Example version of "John Brown's Body" (MIDI)
★ More John Brown Song information
'"John Brown's Body"' (originally known as "John Brown's Song") is a famous Union marching song of the American Civil War. It was for many years generally assumed to have been created as a tribute to the abolitionist acts of John Brown, a claim now disputed by some historians (see below). The song was found offensive by Major General George B. McClellan while he was in command of the Army of the Potomac, and he tried to ban it, to little effect (Sears, Stephen, ''Landscape Turned Red'').
Sheet music, including "the famous John Brown's song", 1862
| Contents |
| Origins |
| Lyrics |
| "John Brown's Baby" |
| Sea shanty |
| Further Reading |
| See also |
| External links |
Origins
The tune, probably written by William Steffe in 1855–56, for a revivalist hymn ''Say, Brothers will you meet us'', was later also used for ''The Battle Hymn of the Republic'', ''Solidarity Forever'', and ''The Battle Hymn of Cooperation''.
There is also revisionist evidence that this song was originally created by a group of Union soldiers (with only the first verse), mocking a comrade-in-arms who shared the name "John Brown".
As musicologist Irwin Silber states:
''John Brown's Body' was not composed originally about the fiery Abolitionist at all. The namesake for the song, it turns out, was Sergeant John Brown, a Scotsman, a member of the Second Battalion, Boston Light Infantry Volunteer Militia.''
Columnist Mark Steyn elaborates:[1]:
''This group enlisted with the Twelfth Massachusetts Regiment and formed a glee club at Fort Warren in Boston. Brown was second tenor, and the subject of a lot of good-natured joshing, including a song about him mould’ring in his grave, which at that time had just one verse, plus chorus. They called it 'The John Brown Song'. On July 18th 1861, at a regimental march past the Old State House in Boston, the boys sang the song and the crowd assumed, reasonably enough, that it was inspired by the life of John Brown the Kansas abolitionist, not John Brown the Scots tenor. [...] Later on, various other verses were written about the famous John Brown and the original John Brown found his comrades’ musical tribute to him gradually annexed by the other guy.''
Evidence to that effect has also been presented by Sarah Vowell on ''This American Life''.[2].
Lyrics
The following lyrics are from the Library of Congress:[3]
:''Tune: Brothers, will you meet me''
: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;
:His soul's marching on!
::('Chorus')
::Glory, halle—hallelujah! Glory, halle—hallelujah!
::Glory, halle—hallelujah! his soul's 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's 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's marching on!
::('Chorus')
:His pet lambs will meet him on the way;
:His pet lambs will meet him on the way;
:His pet lambs will meet him on the way;
:They go marching on!
::('Chorus')
:They will hang Jeff. Davis to a sour apple tree!
:They will hang Jeff. Davis to a sour apple tree!
:They will hang Jeff. Davis to a sour apple tree!
:As they march along!
::('Chorus')
:Now, three rousing cheers for the Union;
:Now, three rousing cheers for the Union;
:Now, three rousing cheers for the Union;
:As we are marching on!
Inevitably, and as hinted above, many verses to the song exist other than the "official" ones quoted above - often either obscene, or strongly abolitionist. One of the latter, obviously thoroughly "annexed" is this full version from another source (the book of Victor Hugo's "Letter to America against John Brown hanging"). It is interesting, but unlikely to have ever been sung on the march:
:John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave,
:John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave,
:John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave,
:His soul is marching on!
::('Chorus')
::Glory, glory, hallelujah!
::Glory, glory, hallelujah!
::Glory, glory, hallelujah!
::His soul is marching on!
:He captured Harper's Ferry with his nineteen men so true,
:And he frightened old Virginia till she trembled through and through,
:They hung him for a traitor, themselves the traitor crew,
:But his soul is marching on!
::'Chorus'
:John Brown died that the slave might be free,
:John Brown died that the slave might be free,
:John Brown died that the slave might be free,
:And his soul is 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,
:On the grave of old John Brown.
::'Chorus'
:Now has come the glorious jubilee,
:Now has come the glorious jubilee,
:Now has come the glorious jubilee,
:When all mankind are free.
::'Chorus'
"John Brown's Baby"
An obviously less morbid and political version about a baby with a cold is often sung by school-age children. The "Baby" version includes sound effects and pantomime.[4]
Sea shanty
Sailors are known to have adapted "John Brown's Body" into a sea shanty - specifically, into a "Capstan Shanty", used during anchor-raising.
Further Reading
★ Scholes, Percy A. (1955). "John Brown's Body", ''The Oxford Companion of Music''. Ninth edition. London: Oxford University Press.
★ Stutler, Boyd B. (1960). ''Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! The Story of "John Brown's Body" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic''." Cincinnati: The C. J. Krehbiel Co.
★ Vowell, Sarah. (2005). "John Brown's Body," in ''The Rose and the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad''. Ed. by Sean Wilentz and Greil Marcus. New York: W. W. Norton.
See also
★ William Weston Patton
★ Solidarity Forever - a song using the same tune with a different lyric.
★ The Battle Hymn of Cooperation - a rallying song on consumer cooperation using the same tune
External links
★ Example version of "John Brown's Body" (MIDI)
★ More John Brown Song information
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