Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-13
WAR TIME SONGS.
A Few Stauzas from Some Old DItties
which Became Very Popular.

which Became Very Popular.
H. II. Folsom in Valdosta Times.
The fresh young lips that warbled the
songs of twenty years ago have grown
withered and sere, but in the heart of
many a dignified matron still fingers the
echo of those stirring strains.
A few of the old ''war songs" have sur
vived. Such songs as "Dlxie," MARY
land, my Maryland" and others belong
to the immortals. While flows the blood
in a Southern heart their wild melody
will cause the pulse to quicken; and
when the band strikes "Dixie'' the re-
spouse is generally the same old "rebel
yeil' that nerved the arm of StOnewall
Jackson's s'fOOt cavalry
The first time | ever heard EDixie'' it
was played on an old time fiddle. ] had
a dear uncle who lived on Mud Swamp,
in Lowndes county. He was home on a
furlougb, and bis time expired the next
day. So Uncle Ben. took out his well
loved violin and treated us to music. He
was first-rate performer, and l shall
never forget the thrill that l experienced
when he struck up Dixie" The old fiddle
almost spoke the non g y lines:
I'm DlXie's land whar / wus born in
Early on one frosty mOTnin'.
Look away. look away,
Look away Tor DlXie's land"
The plaintive rythms of the song as
they rose and fell awOke the echoes, and
a startled hooking bird uttered a few
short notes in reply.
Away down south in Dixiew The
notes went ringing out through the dark
pine woods and were re-echOed from the
gloomy swamp where a great owl uttered
the sombre query, ''To Whoo? To
Whoo?"
Uncle Ben left next day and never came
back.
How often have | heard the brave boys
sing, with a suspicious culver that
sounded almost like sob
''rm lonely since 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 ave, to
weep till her young heart broke for the
soldier boy whose form was left TO
mOulder by Shenandoah's bloody torrent.
And how the iris u sed to sing:
MY homespun dress is plain know,
Ny hats pa metto, too,
But then II shows what Southern girls
For southern rights will do.
Hnzza! Huzza! for the Benny Blue Flag
That bears single STAR"
One ridiculous piece Of dOggerel was
. L
ran:
sole Gin'ral Scott, he began to trot,
When he saw the eds Of secession a aowin,
He began 10 trot for his half gallon pot,
To carry all the rebels over Jordan.
John Browns dead an the last word he said
was don't keep ne ere STAMINA"
and so on.
remember another that we relished:
"Ole massa settln' in dc windah see de smoke
WnaT de liuEum Quub lafa laV-ff
Then it went on TO a verse which ran
''De oberseer e steps about, an e cuts 'er nifty
So we lock um up in de smoke house cellah, de
key frOwed in &c we'll"
You see we kids cared very little about
sentiment; the song was what we were
after.
The detailed soldier had one like this:
"The Berrien hills thew air 80 steep,
Their 'nOugh TO make pO' details weep.
An wish ! Wue 40 home,
An ~ home I after be;
An ef / wus a. home
One Of a more material character was:
81 take my knnpsack on my back,
My rife on my shoulder;
Put on the gray, and march away,
For I'm bound TO be a soldier"
One Of the favorites, with ladies, began:
son tho banks Of the Potomac there's an
army 50 grand,
And they're trying 70 suhjugate Dixie's fair
taud.n
Did you ever sit on a crooked fence Just
as tue sun had sunk 20 rest and the whole
west was blaze Of glory with the first
faint stars just peeping out In the purple
dome Of heaYenY II you ever did, and
was so fortunate as % hear two or three
negro boys about half a mile Of "blOwing
quilts" az they came from the fields. then
you have not lived in vain. This quaint
instrument was made Of two or three
reeds cut different lengths and held with
the edge 10 the lips. The notes that were
lacking were supplied by hallooing. The
music has never been excelled In sweet
ness.
Al, mel so FAR as pure, unalloyed hap
piness 10 concerned, I'd rather be n plan
tation darkey and plow n one-eyed mule,
than 20 wear the purple and fine linen of
an emperor and fare sumptuously every
day.
There never was. nor Ia, nor ever will
BE anything az sweet az The old life on the
Georgia plantation home. No matter how