“The Folks on t'Other Side the Wave”
Description
"The folks on t'other side the wave Have beef as well as you, sirs." The listener (clearly England) is reminded that the Americans are much like them, but will resist attacks on them -- and can hold off the English simply by running away
Notes
Published as a broadside in 1777, this piece was a highly accurate portrayal of the situation in the American Revolutionary War. Most of the colonists were actually loyal to Britain, but would fight if their rights were threatened. What is more, the colonists could win the war simply by not giving up.
This latter assessment was a good prediction of the way the war was fought. The British won the majority of the battles of the war -- but the fact that they were fighting thousands of miles from their bases meant that the Americans needed to win only ONE decisive battle. It took the colonials six years, but they finally did win such a battle -- at Yorktown. - RBW
References
- Scott-BoA, pp. 62-63, "The Folks on t'Other Side the Wave" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BI, SBoA063