For the Dear Old Flag, I Die

Last updated

For The Dear Old Flag, I Die is an American Civil War song. It was originally a poem written by George Cooper. The music by Stephen Foster was later added in. The song interprets the last words of a brave little drummer boy who was fatally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. [1]

American Civil War Civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865

The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history. Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

George Cooper was an American poet remembered chiefly for his song lyrics, many set to music by Stephen Foster.

Stephen Foster American songwriter

Stephen Collins Foster, known as "the father of American music", was an American songwriter known primarily for his parlor and minstrel music. He wrote more than 200 songs, including "Oh! Susanna", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "Old Black Joe", and "Beautiful Dreamer", and many of his compositions remain popular today. He has been identified as "the most famous songwriter of the nineteenth century" and may be the most recognizable American composer in other countries. His compositions are sometimes referred to as "childhood songs" because they have been included in the music curriculum of early education. Most of his handwritten music manuscripts are lost, but editions issued by publishers of his day can be found in various collections.

Verse 1

For the dear old Flag I die,
Said the wounded drummer boy;
Mother, press your lips to mine;
O, they bring me peace and joy!
'Tis the last time on earth
I shall ever see your face
Mother take me to your heart,
Let me die in your embrace.

(Chorus)

For the dear old Flag I die,
Mother, dry your weeping eye;
For the honor of our land
And the dear old Flag I die,

Verse 2

Do not mourn, my mother, dear,
Every pang will soon be o'er;
For I hear the angel band
Calling from their starry shore;
Now I see their banners wave
In the light of perfect day,
though 'tis hard to part with you,
Yet I would not wish to stay.

(Chorus)

For the dear old Flag I die,
Mother, dry your weeping eye;
For the honor of our land
And the dear old Flag I die.

Verse 3

Farewell mother, Death's cold hand
Weighs upon my spirit now,
And I feel his blighting breath
Fan my pallid cheek and brow.
Closer! closer! to your heart,
Let me feel that you are by,
While my sight is growing dim,
For the dear old Flag I die.

(Chorus)

For the dear old Flag I die,
Mother, dry your weeping eye;
For the honor of our land
And the dear old Flag I die.

Fiction

In the 2015 video game Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number , a shortened version of the poem is included in the end credits of the game when the game is completed on Hard Mode.

<i>Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number</i> 2015 video game

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a top-down shooter video game co-developed by Dennaton Games and Abstraction Games, and published by Devolver Digital. It is both the sequel and prequel to Hotline Miami, taking place before and after the events of Hotline Miami, as it focuses on the backstory and aftermath of the previous protagonist, Jacket, slaying parts of the Russian mafia at the behest of anonymous voices leaving mysterious messages on his answering machine.

Related Research Articles

In poetry, enjambment is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation. Lines without enjambment are end-stopped.

The Maple Leaf Forever song

"The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in the Battle of Ridgeway against the Fenians in 1866.

<i>Give My Regards to Broadway</i> song performed by Billy Murray

"Give My Regards to Broadway" is a song written by George M. Cohan for his musical play Little Johnny Jones which debuted in 1904 in New York.

"Streets of Laredo", also known as the "Cowboy's Lament", is a famous American cowboy ballad in which a dying cowboy tells his story to another cowboy. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

"Sussex by the Sea" is a patriotic song written in 1907 by William Ward-Higgs, often considered to be the unofficial county anthem of Sussex. It became well known throughout Sussex and is regularly sung at celebrations throughout the county. It can be heard during many sporting events in the county, during the Sussex bonfire celebrations and it is played by marching bands and Morris dancers across Sussex. It is the adopted song of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club and Sussex County Cricket Club.

Where Corals Lie poem written by Richard Garnett

"Where Corals Lie" is a poem by Richard Garnett which was set to music by Sir Edward Elgar as the fourth song in his song-cycle Sea Pictures. The poem was first published in Io in Egypt and other poems in 1859 and subsequently anthologized in Sea Music in 1888.

Just Before the Battle, Mother song

"Just before the Battle, Mother" was a popular song during the American Civil War, particularly among troops in the Union Army. It was written and published by Chicago-based George F. Root. It was also a popular song with adherents of the Primrose League in England, and was a central part of Victoria Day celebrations in Canada during the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries.

<i>The Red Hussar</i> opera

The Red Hussar is a comedy opera in three acts by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens, concerning a young ballad singer who disguises herself as a Hussar to follow her penniless beloved to France. By a feat of gallantry, she saves his life and is promoted to the rank of sergeant. It turns out that she is a rich heiress, and all ends happily.

"Song to Old Union" is the alma mater of Union College in Schenectady, New York. It was written by Fitz Hugh Ludlow for Union's 1856 commencement ceremonies. It is sung each year at graduation, although it is the rare student or alumnus who knows more than the first verse and chorus.

<i>The Spring Chicken</i> musical

The Spring Chicken is an English musical comedy adapted by George Grossmith, Jr. from Coquin de Printemps (1897) by Jaime and Duval, with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton and lyrics by Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank and Grossmith, produced by George Edwardes at the Gaiety Theatre, opening on 30 May 1905. It ran for a very successful 401 performances. The London production starred Grossmith, Harry Grattan, and Gertie Millar, with Henry Lytton later joining the cast.

Hard Tack Come Again No More song

"Hard Tack, Come Again No More" is an American Civil War-era parody of the song "Hard Times, Come Again No More." First called "Hard Crackers, Come Again No More!", it is a sarcastic complaint about the quality of some of the provisions provided by military contractors. The authors of the many verses of the parody are unknown, although the first version is often attributed to Josiah Fowler of the First Iowa Infantry dating to just after the Battle of Boonville, June 1861.

"There Is A Balm in Gilead" is a traditional African American spiritual.

<i>My Son, the Folk Singer</i> 1962 studio album by Allan Sherman

My Son, the Folk Singer is an album by Allan Sherman [monophonic W-1475/stereophonic WS-1475], released by Warner Bros. Records in 1962. On the album sleeve, the title appears directly below the words "Allan Sherman's mother presents."

"Thousands Are Sailing" is a song by The Pogues, released in 1988. The song is an Irish folk style ballad, written by Phil Chevron, and featured on The Pogues' album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.

Blow the Wind Southerly is a traditional English folk song from Northumberland. It tells of a woman desperately hoping for a southerly wind to blow her lover back home over the sea to her. It is Roud number 2619.

I Want A Girl (Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad) song composed by Harry Von Tilzer

I Want A Girl is a popular song of 1911 composed by Harry Von Tilzer and with lyrics by William Dillon, which has become a barbershop quartet standard.

"Go Limp" is the penultimate track on Nina Simone's 1964 album Nina Simone in Concert, and is an adaptation of a protest song originally written by Alex Comfort during his involvement with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Your King and Country Need You (Pelham)

"Your King and Country Need You" was a British popular song and recitation, with words by Paul Pelham, and music by W. H. Wallis and Fred Elton. It was published in London in 1914, at the start of the First World War, by Lawrence Wright Music. It was written as a recruiting song with the aim of persuading men to volunteer to fight in the War. Half the profits on the first 100,000 copies were to be given to the "H.R.H. Prince of Wales' National Relief Fund".

Theres a Red-Bordered Flag in the Window 1918 song composed by James Royce Shannon

There's a Red-Bordered Flag in the Window is a World War I era song released in 1918. Fred Ziemer wrote the lyrics. J.R. Shannon composed the music. The song was published by Vandersloot Music Publishing Company of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. On the cover, there is a red-bordered service flag with two blue stars. It hangs in front of a window. On each of the two stars is a picture of a mother and her son. The piece was written for both voice and piano. The song is directed at a mother of a soldier. It begins with, "Why are you sad little mother? Why do your eyes fill with tears?" Later the narrator encourages the mother to keep hope. The flag is seen as a symbol of pride and love, as evidenced by the chorus:

So Long, Mother song composed by Egbert Van Alstyne

"So Long, Mother" is a World War I era song released in 1917. Raymond B. Egan and Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics. Egbert Van Alstyne composed the music. The song was published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. of Detroit, Michigan. On the cover is a soldier and mother in an embrace. To the left is an inset photo of singer Al Jolson. It was written for both voice and piano.

References

  1. Silber, Irwin (1960). Songs of the Civil War. Courier Corporation. p. 115.