When Johnny Comes Marching Home " When Johnny Comes Marching Home " ( sometimes " When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again " ) is a popular song of the American Civil War that expressed people ' s longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war . Origins . The lyrics to " When Johnny Comes Marching Home " were written by the Irish - American bandleader Patrick Gilmore during the American Civil War . Its first sheet music publication was deposited in the Library of Congress on September 26 , 1863 , with words and music credited to " Louis Lambert " ; copyright was retained by the publisher , Henry Tolman & Co . , of Boston . Why Gilmore chose to publish under a pseudonym is not clear , but popular composers of the period often employed pseudonyms to add a touch of romantic mystery to their compositions . Gilmore is said to have written the song for his sister Annie as she prayed for the safe return of her fiancé , Union Light Artillery Captain John O ' Rourke , from the Civil War , although it is not clear if the engagement already existed in 1863 and the two were not married until 1875 . Gilmore later acknowledged that the music was not original but was , as he put it in an 1883 article in the " Musical Herald " , " a musical waif which I happened to hear somebody humming in the early days of the rebellion , and taking a fancy to it , wrote it down , dressed it up , gave it a name , and rhymed it into usefulness for a special purpose suited to the times . " The melody was previously published around July 1 , 1863 , as the music to the Civil War drinking song " Johnny Fill Up the Bowl " . A color - illustrated , undated slip of Gilmore ' s lyrics , printed by his own Boston publisher , actually states that " When Johnny Comes Marching Home " should be sung to the tune of " Johnny Fill Up the Bowl " . The original sheet music for " Johnny Fill Up the Bowl " states that the music was arranged ( not composed ) by J . Durnal . There is a melodic resemblance of the tune to that of " John Anderson , My Jo " ( to which Robert Burns wrote lyrics to fit a pre - existing tune dating from about 1630 or earlier ) , and some have suggested a connection to the seventeenth - century ballad " The Three Ravens " . " When Johnny Comes Marching Home " is also sung to the same tune as " Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye " and is frequently thought to have been a rewriting of that song . However , " Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye " was not written until 1867 , and it originally had a different melody . " When Johnny Comes Marching Home " was immensely popular and was sung by both sides of the American Civil War . It became a hit in England as well . Other versions . Quite a few variations on the song , as well as songs set to the same tune but with different lyrics , have appeared since " When Johnny Comes Marching Home " was popularized . The alleged larcenous tendencies of some Union soldiers in New Orleans were parodied in the lyrics " For Bales " , to the same tune . A British version appeared in 1914 , with the similar title , " When Tommy Comes Marching Home . " Arcadhya ( 2011 ) - Brazil Lyrics . The original lyrics as written by Gilmore , are : Johnny Fill Up the Bowl . " Johnny Fill Up the Bowl " , which provided the tune for " When Johnny Comes Marching Home " , was a topical drinking song that commented on events in the American Civil War . It was frequently refitted with new words by soldiers and other publishers . A satirical variant of " Johnny Fill Up the Bowl " , entiled " For Bales " or , more fully , " " For Bales ! An O ' er True Tale . Dedicated to Those Pure Patriots Who Were Afflicted with " Cotton on the Brain " and Who Saw The Elephant " , was published in New Orleans in 1864 , by A . E . Blackmar . Lyrics . [ 1 ] < br > We all went down to New Orleans , < br > For Bales , for Bales ; < br > We all went down to New Orleans , < br > For Bales , says I ; < br > We all went down to New Orleans , < br > To get a peep behind the scenes , < br > " And we ' ll all drink stone blind , < br > Johnny fill up the bowl " . < br > < br > [ 2 ] < br > We thought when we got in the " Ring " , < br > For Bales , for Bales ; < br > We thought when we got in the " Ring " , < br > For Bales , says I ; < br > We thought when we got in the " Ring " , < br > Greenbacks would be a dead sure thing , < br > " And we ' ll all drink stone blind , < br > Johnny fill up the bowl " . < br > < br > [ 3 ] < br > The " ring " went up , with bagging and rope , < br > For Bales , for Bales ; < br > Upon the " Black Hawk " with bagging and rope , < br > For Bales , says I ; < br > Went up " Red River " with bagging and rope , < br > Expecting to make a pile of " soap " , < br > " And we ' ll all drink stone blind , < br > Johnny fill up the bowl " . < br > < br > [ 4 ] < br > But Taylor and Smith , with ragged ranks , < br > For Bales , for Bales ; < br > But Taylor and Smith , with ragged ranks , < br > For Bales , says I ; < br > But Taylor and Smith , with ragged ranks , < br > Burned up the cotton and whipped old Banks , < br > " And we ' ll all drink stone blind , < br > Johnny fill up the bowl " . < br > < br > [ 5 ] < br > Our " ring " came back and cursed and swore , < br > For Bales , for Bales ; < br > Our " ring " came back and cursed and swore , < br > For Bales , says I ; < br > Our " ring " came back and cursed and swore , < br > For we got no cotton at Grand Ecore , < br > " And we ' ll all drink stone blind , < br > Johnny fill up the bowl " . < br > < br > [ 6 ] < br > Now let us all give praise and thanks , < br > For Bales , for Bales ; < br > Now let us all give praise and thanks , < br > For Bales , says I ; < br > Now let us all give praise and thanks , < br > For the victory gained by General Banks , < br > " And we ' ll all drink stone blind , < br > Johnny fill up the bowl " . < br >