# Civil War songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 16, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804 "2017-08-16T15:49:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/1 "2017-08-16T15:49:56Z")
I love them. Many relate to the current debates and give good insight into the conflict. In your opinion, which songs should be sung, which should be banned, and which should be studied? For example :[I’m a Good Ole Rebel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAfHigPsC_s) Has lyrics like"Oh, I’m a good old rebel, Now that’s just what I am, And for this yankee nation, I do not give a damn. I’m glad I fought a ganner, I only wish we won. I ain’t asked any pardon for anything I’ve done I hates the yankee nation and everything they do. I hates the declaration of independence, too. I hates the glorious union, t’is dripping with our blood. I hates the striped banner, and fit it all I could I rode with Robert E. Lee, For three years, thereabout. Got wounded in four places, And I starved at point lookout. I catched the rheumatism A campin’ in the snow. But I killed a chance of Yankees And I’d like to kill some more. Another song: "[Dixie: Union Version"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Hy4MSwESk) Lyrics: Away down South in the land of traitors, Rattlesnakes and alligators, Right away, come away, right away, come away. Where cotton’s king and men are chattels, Union boys will win the battles, Right away, come away, right away, come away. ``` Then we'll all go down to Dixie, Away, away, Each Dixie boy must understand, That he must mind his Uncle Sam, Away, away, And we'll all go down to Dixie. Away, away, And we'll all go down to Dixie. ``` I wish I was in Baltimore, I’d make Secession traitors roar, Right away, come away, right away, come away. We’ll put the traitors all to rout, I’ll bet my boots we’ll whip them out, Right away, come away, right away, come away. ``` Then they'll wish they were in Dixie, Away, away, Each Dixie boy must understand, That he must mind his Uncle Sam, Away, away, And we'll all go down to Dixie. Away, away, And we'll all go down to Dixie. ``` Their are whole lists on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/2 "2017-08-16T16:08:06Z")
How do you ban a song? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/3 "2017-08-16T17:10:27Z")
Hide all the sheet music. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/4 "2017-08-16T17:15:35Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > In your opinion, which songs should be sung the ones that sound good and that don’t convey a despicable message > [@](#): > > which should be banned the ones embedded by the supervillain Rebel Yell with a subsonic tone that induces unstoppable savagery in the listeners > [@](#): > > and which should be studied? All of them. next question? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/5 "2017-08-16T17:31:28Z")
The same as with the Civil war memorials. State recognition is the dividing line. You can’t do much about some yahoo somewhere flying the confederate flag and having a shrine to Jefferson Davis in his back yard, but you can stop the flag being flown at the capitol building and take down statues of Lee on public lands. Similarly anyone can sing whatever song they want, but they should avoid being sung as part of a school curriculum, or at a concert sponsored by the government. In particular they shouldn’t be your [state song](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland,_My_Maryland). Particularly if you steal the tune from Oh Tennenbaum, so that visitors to your Univeristy campus are wondering why the clock tower is chiming Christmas carols in April. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/6 "2017-08-17T01:45:32Z")
We’re not talking about statues here pal. This is free speech. Really, not the same at all. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/7 "2017-08-17T05:43:52Z")
You know, if you guys keep heading down this road and I have to return/destroy my book and DVDs of Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” I’ll be mightily pissed off. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/8 "2017-08-17T06:06:03Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > You know, if you guys keep heading down this road and I have to return/destroy my book and DVDs of Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” I’ll be mightily pissed off. There will be an exchange program. The new edition will only mention Union generals and forces. Future generations will marvel at the seeming penchant for the Union forces to go gallivanting about the land in pursuit of nothing particular, and be especially puzzled at how so many of them died in the process when they were the only armed force on the field. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/9 "2017-08-17T16:34:32Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > There will be an exchange program. The new edition will only mention Union generals and forces. Future generations will marvel at the seeming penchant for the Union forces to go gallivanting about the land in pursuit of nothing particular, and be especially puzzled at how so many of them died in the process when they were the only armed force on the field. If you object to people creating historical memorials that leave out important details so as to present a tendentious and sanitised view of the past with the intention of promoting a particular brand of politics, well, then you’re going to \*really \*have issues with a lot of Confederacy statuary. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/10 "2017-08-17T16:48:46Z")
Where are the Union memorials in the South? I’ve never seen one. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/11 "2017-08-17T17:04:33Z")
Why doesn’t Atlanta Georgia have a statue of General Sherman? Are they trying to erase history? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/12 "2017-08-17T17:11:13Z")
Well, Sherman erased _Atlanta_, so they do have a point. ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/13 "2017-08-17T18:23:41Z")
Yes, I love them. Among my favorites are Белая гвардия, Черный барон; Тачанка; Три танкиста; Там вдали, за рекой. 😉 Oh, you meant the US Civil War? Then you can’t go wrong with John Brown’s Body or its Battle Hymn of the Republic version. ETA: no songs should be banned. There are quite a few songs I wouldn’t want to be taught in elementary school but that list certainly isn’t limited to songs of the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/14 "2017-08-18T00:07:40Z")
Henry Clay Work’s classic, “Kingdom Coming” aka “The Year of Jubeloh,” is terribly uncomfortable today. It has the word “Darkies,” and mimics slave patois. On the other hand, it’s funny! It’s a delightful little bit of pure sass at the expense of a fat, cowardly slave-owner. Also, the tune is an enduring classic. Banned? Please, no! ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-songs/793804/15 "2017-08-18T03:22:35Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Henry Clay Work’s classic, “Kingdom Coming” aka “The Year of Jubeloh,” is terribly uncomfortable today. It has the word “Darkies,” and mimics slave patois. On the other hand, it’s funny! It’s a delightful little bit of pure sass at the expense of a fat, cowardly slave-owner. Also, the tune is an enduring classic. > > Banned? Please, no! \*He’s six foot one way, two foot t’udder, And he weigh three hundred pound. His coat so big, couldn’t pay the tailor, And it don’t go halfway 'round. He like to drill, they call him the Cap’n And he get so dreadful tan. I think he’s gwine to fool them Yankees For to think he’s contraband.\*