"Over There" | |
---|---|
Song by Nora Bayes | |
Written | April 7, 1917 |
Published | June 1917 |
Released | July 13, 1917 |
Genre | War song, march music, Tin Pan Alley |
Songwriter(s) | George M. Cohan |
"Over There" is a 1917 war song written by George M. Cohan that was popular with the United States military and the American public during World War I and World War II. Written shortly after the American entry into World War I, "Over There" is a patriotic propaganda song intended to galvanize American men to enlist in the American Expeditionary Forces and fight the Central Powers. The song is best remembered for a line in its chorus: "The Yanks are coming." [1]
According to the Library of Congress, Cohan wrote "Over There" during his commute to work on April 7, 1917, [2] a day after the U.S. officially abandoned their policy of non-interventionism and joined the Allied Powers. Its opening verse is derived from "Johnny, Get Your Gun", an 1886 song written by Monroe Rosenfeld, while its rhythm was based on a three-note bugle call. [3]
Cohan personally chose Nora Bayes to premiere "Over There" in June 1917, [4] but the Peerless Quartet recorded it first on June 6 with Columbia Records. [5] Bayes's rendition released on July 13. [3] Though early tests with soldiers saw lukewarm reception, the song was very popular with the civilian public. Other versions recorded by Billy Murray, the American Quartet, and Arthur Fields were also made. President Woodrow Wilson described it as "a genuine inspiration to all American manhood". By the end of 1918, over 2 million copies of sheet music were sold. [3]
Though written and intended for World War I, the song has been revived on various occasions during and after World War II. [1] It was not heavily used during the Vietnam War, but it regained some popularity in the 21st century after the September 11 attacks and during the war on terror. [6]
As sung by early 20th-century recording artist Billy Murray:
Verse 1
Johnny, [a] get your gun, get your gun, get your gun.
Take it on the run, on the run, on the run.
Hear them calling you and me,
Every Son of Liberty.
Hurry right away, no delay, go today.
Make your daddy glad to have had such a lad.
Tell your sweetheart not to pine,
To be proud her boy's in line.
Verse 2
Johnny, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun.
Johnny, show the Hun you're a son of a gun.
Hoist the flag and let her fly;
Yankee Doodle, [b] do or die.
Pack your little kit, show your grit, do your bit.
Yankee [c] to the ranks from the towns and the tanks. [d]
Make your mother proud of you
And the old red, white, and blue. [e]
Chorus
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there
That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming everywhere.
So prepare, say a prayer,
Send the word, send the word to beware –
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over, over there.
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