The Dawson journal., 1885-05-21
WAR TINE SONGS.
A Few Stanzas from Some Old Dittles
which Became Very Popular.

NJ. NJ. Folsom in Valdosta Times.
The fresh young lips that warb-
led the songs of twenty years ago
have grown withered and sere, but
in the heart of many q dignifed
matron still fingers the echo of
those stirring strains.
A few of the old "war songs
have survived. Such songs as
Dixie" Maryland, my Mary
land" and others belong to the
immortals. While flows the blood
in a Southern heart their wild
melody viii cause the pulse to
quicken; and when the band
strikes Dixie the response is
generally the same old''rebel yell'
that nerved the arm of Stonewall
Jackson's 'foot cavalry"
The first time I ever heard"Dix-
lie" it was played on an old time
fiddle. I had dear uncle who
lived on Mud Swamp, in Lowndes
county. He was home on fur
Tough, and his time expired the
next day. So Uncle Ben. took
out his well loved violin and treat
ed us to music. He was a first
rate performer, and | shall never
forget the thrill that / experienced
when he struck up Dixie" The
old fiddle almost spoke the home
ly lines:
''In Dixie's land whar l wus born
Early one frosty mornin'
Look away, look away,
Look away for Dixie's land"
The piaintive rythms of the
song as they rose and fell awoke
the echoes, and a startled mocking
bird uttered few short notes in
reply.
"Away down S,uth in Dixie!'
The notes wentringing out through
the dark pine woods and were re-
echoed from the gloomy swamp
where great owl uttered the
sombre query, "Too Whoo? To
Whoo?"
Uncle Ben left next day and
never came back.
How often have 1 heard the
brave boys sing, with suspicious
culver that sounded almost ike a
sob:
'T'm lonely since 1 crossed the hills
For the girl left behind me-"
And how often was it the case
that the brave laddie never came
back, but left the dear one behind
forever and for aye, to weep till
her young heart broke for the SOL
der boy whose form was left to
moulder by Shenandoah's bloody
torrent. And how the girls used
to sing:
My homespm dress is plain know,
Ny hats palmettostoo,
But then it shows what Southern girls
For Southern rights will do.
Huzza! Huzza for the Bonny Blue Flag
That bears single star"
One ridiculous piece of dogger-
ell was very popular among the
youngsters. 1t ran:
Ole Gin'ral Scott, he bei an to trot,
When he saw the seeds of secession a
sowin'
He began to trot for his half a gallon
pot,
TO carry dtl Vic TCuSlo W JOluaii'
John Browns dead and the last word he
said
Was don't keep ME ere stannin'"
And so on.
/ remember another that we rel
ished;
'tOIe massa settin' in de windah see
de smoke
Whar de Lnkum gunboats lay"
Then it went on to a verse which
ran:
"De Oberseer C steps about, On e cuts
err nifty swell;
So we lock um up in de smoke house
cellah, de key frowed in de well"
You see we bids cared very lit
tie about sentiment; the song was
what we were after.
The detailed soldier had one
like this:
''The Berrien hills they air so steep,
Ther 'nough to make po' details weep.
An wish | lwus at home,
An at home arter be;
An eff wus at home
The varmints wouldn't bite me-"
One of a more material charac-
ter was:
''I'Il take my knapsack onm back,
My rifle on my shoulder;
Put on the gray, and march away,
For Pm bound to be soldier"
One of the favorites, of the Ia
dies, began:
ION the banks of tire Potomac there's
an army sO GRAND