The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-07-12
STORY OF SOME SONGS.
The H tory of Yankee boobies" Descent
from Cromwell and Washington
Political Campaign Songs.
From he North american Rerielr.

An instance of the remarkable i'm
MOI ,ality of al air, totally discovered
from sense or beauty of sentiment in
the words, is our own saucy, world-de-
flying quickstep, yankee Doodle" The
words, absurd as they are, illustrate the
fact that there may be deep meaning
in the apparently aimless journeying of
song, and more popular knowledge
of its history would add greatly to the
association charm of what we have al
ways been half ashamed to call our
national melody. give the story as |
have searched it out, the more readily
because | have lately seen paragraphs
relating to it that betoken both interest
and ignorance. "Yankee Doodle" has
been a true melody of the people in
many lands. From the vineyards of
France, from different provinces of the
free Pyrenees, from the dykes of Hol-
land, and from the Puritan struggles of
England, the air comes down to us. In
Holland the laborers received as their
wages "a tenth of the harvest and as
much buttermilk as they could drink"
As they reaped they sang:
yankee dudel, doodle down,
Diddlc, dudel, lanther,
Yankee viver, vover vown,
Buttermilk and tanther "
In England, in the reign of Charles
l., the air was sung to rhyme which
is still heard in our nurseries
Lucy I.ocket lost her pocket,
Kite Fisher found it;
Nothing in il. nothing on it,
But the birding round it."
When Cromwell rode into Oxford
upon small horse, with his single
plume fastened into kind OF knot. the
whole outfit intended to suggest Puritan
horror of housekeeping steeds and wav-
ing plumage, some waggish cavalier in
vented the following rhyme, and set it
afloat to the homely melody of labor
yankee Doodle came to town,
Upon Kentish pony;
He stuck a feather in his car,
Upon a macaroni.'
\ 'macaroni" was small rosette, in
shape and size like an Italian macaroon,
called so from blunder of the English
in confusing the names of two Italian
dishes SO similar i'll pronunciation and
spelling. The tune first came to this
country inI755. Braddcck was assem-
bling our forefathers near Albany, for
an attack on the French and Indians,
at Forts Niagara and Frontenac. As
the Continental recruits came in wear
| ing all the fashions that had been seen
in England for 4 hundred years, and
bearing every weapon but those familiar
to the fresh, well-drilled British troops,
the old picture of Cromwell on Kent
ish pony rose before the mind of an
other waggish cavalier. DIR. Richard
Shuckburg, regimental surgeon, was a
wit and a musician. Planning joke
for the amusement of the camp, he
wrote out the score of yankee Dood-
le," and gave it to the leader of the
Continental band as the latest martial
music. 1t was easily caught and en-
Enthusiastically played, amid shouts of
laughter in the English ranks. Twenty
| five wears later there was less mirth Y
the British army when, with Lord Corn
wallis at its head, it surrendered TO the
| Contnentals whose band was play lg
"Yankee Doodle" 1t was a happy
augury that so linked the Puritans of
the old world and the new-Cromwell
and Washington, both marching to VIC
tory over despotism to the music of
labor and freedom set for them "a de
rision by their foes.