The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-16

"Yankee DOOdle.''

10 the Editor or the Evening Star:
VIII you please state where the words
and tune of the song yankee Doodle or
iginated? l.. B..
w have answered this question so many
times that we are glad to quote you a new
authority on the subject. You will find 1t
all explained in the current number of the
North American Review, wherein the edi-
tor of that publication says:
When Charles the First assembled the
throne a ditty familiar in the nurseries of
high society was Lucy Locket," after
ward known in New England as Lydia
Fishers jig and running like this:
Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
Lydia Fisher found it;
Not a bit of money in it,
Only binding round It,"
A smart cavalier, adapting the Jingle to
political conditions, produced the following:
"Nankey Doodle came to town,
Riding on a pony.
With a feather in his hat
Upon a macaroni.'
A doodle" according to Murray, was a
simpleton, "a sorry, trifling fellow" a
"macaroni" was a knot in the ribbon. The
particular Nankey characterized thus de-
risively In this case was oliver Cromwell.
The next adaptation appeared In 1865 ia
connection with a caricature ridieuling
William Pitt for espousing Americas cause,
and incidentally shifting at the French and
Virginia negroes thus:
Stamp Act! lie diable! dat is de job. sir
Dat is de Stiltman's mob, sir,
To be Americas nabob, sir,
Doodle, noodle, do"
1t was natural that shafts of the wit OF
tine period should be aimed Mt the uhcouth
American soldiers; and there was much
hilarity In the British camp in Boston
when an officer-roet recited the lines
which became the real "Yankee Doodle. "
beginning with the familiar verse:
Father md l went down to camp,
Along with Captain Goodwin,
Where We see the men and boys
AS thick as ~hasty-pu1din' =
and continuing with the well-worn refer
ences to Captain Washington" My
Jemima,'' ct al, after the well-known
fashion designed to take off" the provin-
cials thus:
There was Captain Washington
Upon a slappirg stallion,
A giving orders to his men;
l guess there was a million.
"And then tho feathers on his hat.
They looked so tarnal hnea,
l wanted pockily to get,
To give to my Jemima."
oO0lS years DeIOTS, u bTlllsu army ehl-
geon stationed at Lake George had com
posed one or two sneering verses entitled
Yankee Doodle and Ethan Allen, WHOSE
liking for stirring melody was stronger
than his taste for classical music, prompt
ly appropriated the tune. so that the filters
and drummers at Dorchester were fully
prepared when they received a copy o.
the Boston composition, and the shrill tun'
became, probably for all time, our favor
lite national marching air. 1t is essentially
English, as we have pointed out, but onl,
In our Judgment as adapted; in any case
rightly or wrongly. we prefer to accep
Duyckinck's declaration that 1t was by thu
predatory British from an old Dutch haT
vest song whose refrain ran:
''Yanker didee doodle down
Didee dudel lawnter,
Yankee viver, voover, vown,
Botermelk und Tawnter."
The British of1cer-poet, however. is en-
titled to the credit of having made tn
first use OF Uncle Sam IN record, al
though there is no indication that h
meant it to refer to the States then unlte'
only for defensive purposes, thus leavinI
TO the Albany pork inspector the hig'
honor additionally accorded him for sar
donic humor in the use OF a banding iron
I-Ed.l