For the Dear Old Flag, I Die

Last updated April 01, 2019

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 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.

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.

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References

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

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