Draft:The Southern Soldier
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"The Southern Soldier", also known as "The Southern Soldier Boy", is a 19th century song about a Confederate soldier's perspective of the American Civil War and their experience in battle. It is a folk song as it has no definitive author and was passed down orally. The song's lyrics provided a true-to-life perception of the Civil War by describing the life of a Confederate Soldier and their toils in fighting and parting from home. The song was widely in circulation among soldiers of the Confederacy as a rallying or marching song for its message and united cause of fighting against the Union. Despite being a pro-Confederate song, it remained popular throughout and after the Civil War for its down-to-Earth lyrics and display of humanity in the soldiers, and the song survived in minstrel shows or singing.[1]
Lyrics
[edit] "The Southern Soldier" music book | |
| Lyrics | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Music | Minta Morgan, 1850 |
| Audio sample | |
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
History
[edit]"The Southern Soldier" was written in 1850 by an unknown author and composed by Minta Morgan. Throughout the Civil War, the song was mostly popular among Confederate soldiers and at minstrel shows.[2]
The song was first recorded by John A. Lomax in 1937. A variation of the song called "The Northern Soldier", is told from the view of a Union soldier. It retains many of the same lyrics only for the exception that the perspective is shifted to that of a Northern soldier. It revealed the many common feelings and experiences that soldiers of both sides had held.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Southern Soldier: About the Song". Ballad of America. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
- ^ "The Southern Soldier". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
- ^ "Northern Soldier". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved 2025-04-25.