Marching Through Georgia facts for kids
"Marching Through Georgia" is a famous marching song. Henry Clay Work wrote it in 1865, at the end of the American Civil War. The song is about a real event called "Sherman's March to the Sea".
This march was led by U.S. Army Major General William Tecumseh Sherman. His army marched through Georgia to capture the city of Savannah, Georgia in late 1864.
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History of the Song
After the American Civil War, this song became very popular. Many soldiers from the Union Army loved it. The song is sung from the point of view of a Union soldier.
It tells about marching through Georgia. The song talks about freeing slaves and meeting people in the South who were happy to see the U.S. flag again. It also mentions punishing the Confederacy for starting the war.
In some parts of the southern United States, especially Georgia, people who supported the Confederacy did not like the song. They saw it as a reminder of the damage and control the U.S. army had over their states during the war.
Interestingly, General Sherman himself grew to dislike the song. This was because it was played almost every time he appeared in public. It was even played at his funeral!
Outside of the Southern United States, the song was very popular. Japanese soldiers sang it when they entered Port Arthur. The British Army sang it in India. A British town even played the tune to welcome American troops during World War II.
What the Song Left Behind
The song is still popular today, especially with brass bands. Its tune has been used for many other popular songs. These include "Billy Boys" and "Come In, Come In".
The song was also sung in famous movies. Ernest Whitman sang it in Gone with the Wind. Ann Sheridan sang it in Dodge City.
In the 1896 United States presidential election, both William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan used political songs set to the tune of "Marching Through Georgia" for their campaigns.
In the United Kingdom, the tune is used for "The Land". This is a song for the Georgist movement. It is also a main song for the Liberal Democrats political party. Their meetings often ended with this song.
An English version of the song was recorded between 1901 and 1903. This was during the Second Anglo Boer War. It was called "Marching On Pretoria" and had slightly different words.
George M. Cohan used a line from "Marching Through Georgia" in his song "You're a Grand Old Flag". He put "Hurrah! Hurrah!" next to a line from "Dixie".
In Japan, the Salvation Army played the song in the late 1880s. In 1892, new Japanese words were written for it. It was renamed "Masuratake wo". Later, in 1919, it was parodied as "Tokyo Bushi (Pai no Pai no Pai)". This became a very popular Japanese folk song.
The Finnish protest song "Laiva Toivo, Oulu" uses the same tune. Its words criticize the captain of a ship called Toivo.
The song's title is also referenced in two alternate history novels. These are Marching Through Georgia by S. M. Stirling and Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore.
In 1924, Charlie Oaks released "Marching Through Flanders". This song had the same tune but was about American troops in Belgium during World War I.
The song is also heard in classic movies. In Shane (1953), a character is teased with the song. In El Dorado (1966), a character jokes about playing "Marching Through Georgia" during a fight.
In 1961, Tennessee Ernie Ford sang this song on his album Tennessee Ernie Ford Sings Civil War Songs of the North.
The band Pavement also mentions Sherman's March to the Sea and the song in their 1994 song "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence".
Lyrics
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Adaptations
Come In
Here is one version of the chorus for Come In:
Come in, come in, I'll do the best I can
Come in, come in, bring the whole bloody clan
Take it slow and easy, and I'll shake you by the hand
Set you down, I'll treat you decent, I'm an Ulsterman
The Land
Here is the first verse and chorus from "The Land":
Sound the call for freedom boys, and sound it far and wide,
March along to victory, for God is on our side,
While the voice of nature thunders o'er the rising tide:
"God gave the land to the people."
The land, the land,'twas God who made the land,
The land, the land, The ground on which we stand,
Why should we be beggars with a ballot in our hand?
God gave the land to the people!
Paint 'Er Red
Here is one verse from this song, sometimes sung by members of the Industrial Workers of the World:
Come with us, you workingmen, and join the rebel band;
Come, you discontented ones, and give a helping hand,
We march against the parasite to drive him from the land,
With one big industrial union!
Hurrah! hurrah! We're going to paint 'er red!
Hurrah! hurrah! the way is clear ahead—
We're gaining shop democracy and liberty and bread
With one big industrial union!
The song was also used in "The American Metaphysical Circus" by The United States of America.
See also
In Spanish: Marching Through Georgia para niños
