“The Battle Cry of Freedom”

Description

"Oh, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of freedom... The Union forever, hurrah, boys, hurrah...." Sundry boasts about the might and patriotism of the Union army marching to overcome the rebels

Supplemental text

Battle Cry of Freedom, The
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

From sheet music published 1862 by Root & Cady.
Title page inscribed
                   THE
                Battle-Cry
                    of
                 Freedom
             Words & Music by
               GEO. F. ROOT

1. 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 traitor,
   Up with the star;
   While we rally round the flag, boys,
   Rally once again,
   Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.

2. We are springing to the call for Three Hundred Thousand more,*
   Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom,
   And we'll fill the vacant ranks of our brothers gone before,
   Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.

3. We will welcome to our numbers the loyal true and brave,
   Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom,
   And altho' he may be poor he shall never be a slave,
   Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.

4. 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 we love the best
   Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.

* This line more typically sung (e.g. later in the war)
  "We are springing to the call of our brothers gone before."

          *** B ***

See the Australian text (Meredith/Anderson, p. 34) filed
under "Marching Through Georgia."

Same tune

• The People's Rally Cry (Greenway-AFP, p. 61)

Cross references

• cf. "The People's Rally Cry" (tune)

Recordings

• [Arthur] Harlan & [Frank] Stanley, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Victor 4099, c. 1904) (CYL: Edison 8805, 1904)
• J. W. Myers, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Victor 3387, c. 1904)
• John Terrell, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Berliner 1854, 1898)

References

1. Meredith/Anderson, p. 34, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune, thoroughly mixed with "Marching Through Georgia")
2. RJackson-19CPop, pp. 18-21, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Silber-CivWar, pp. 18-19, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Darling-NAS, pp. 346-347, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text)
5. Hill-CivWar, p. 205, "The Battlecry of Freedom" (1 text)
6. Silber-FSWB, p. 285, "The Battle Cry Of Freedom" (1 text)
7. DT, BATTLCRY*
8. ST MA034 (Full)
9. BI, MA034