"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud. Roud's Index is a combination of the Broadsid ...

6673), sometimes "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again", is a song from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.

Origins

Irish-American bandleader

Patrick Gilmore Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore (December 25, 1829 – September 24, 1892) was an Irish-born American composer and military bandmaster who lived and worked in the United States after 1848. While serving in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War, ...

wrote the lyrics to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" during the

. Its first publication was deposited in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

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 published under a pseudonym is unclear, but popular songwriters of the period often employed pseudonyms to add a touch of romantic mystery to their songs. 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 they were already engaged in 1863; 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 The ''Tonic Sol-Fa Reporter'' was a monthly music magazine, journal established by the London music publisher John Curwen in 1851. Shortly after Curwen's death in 1880, his son, John Spencer Curwen, succeeded his father as managing editor in 1881. ...

,'' "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.Lighter, p. 19. There is a melodic resemblance of the tune to that of "John Anderson, My Jo" (to which

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

wrote lyrics to fit a pre-existing tune dating from about 1630 or earlier), and Jonathan Lighter has suggested a connection to the 17th-century ballad "

The Three Ravens "The Three Ravens" () is an English folk ballad, printed in the songbook ''Melismata'' compiled by Thomas Ravenscroft and published in 1611, but the song is possibly older than that. Newer versions (with different music) were recorded up throu ...

". "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is also sung to the same tune as "

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" ( Roud 3137), also known as "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye" or "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya", is a popular traditional song, sung to the same tune as " When Johnny Comes Marching Home". First published in London in 1867 and wr ...

" and is frequently thought to have been a rewriting of that song. "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" was not published until 1867, however, 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.Erbsen, p. 68 It became a hit in England and Ireland as well and was eventually lyrically rewritten and became the related tune "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye".

Alternative 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 a similar title, "When Tommy Comes Marching Home". The 1880 U.S. presidential election campaign featured a campaign song called "If the Johnnies Get into Power," which supported the

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death in September that year after being shot two months earlier. A preacher, lawyer, and Civi ...

and

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

against the "Johnnies" ( Democrats

Winfield S. Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

and

William H. English William Hayden English (August 27, 1822 – February 7, 1896) was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1853 to 1861 and was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States i ...

). The children's songs, "Ants Go Marching", or "Ants Go Marching One By One", and "The Animals Went in Two by Two" ("Into the Ark") re-used the tune and the refrain.

Lyrics

The original lyrics, written by

during the

, were published in 1863 in Erastus Beadle's booklet
''Beadle's Dime Song Book, No. 15: A Collection of New and Popular Comic and Sentimental Songs''
in page
18
an
19
Some later recordings substitute ''glad'' for ''gay''. In the

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

western ''

The Horse Soldiers ''The Horse Soldiers'' is a 1959 American adventure war film set during the American Civil War directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers. The screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin was loosely ...

'', the last line was changed to "And we'll all ''raise hell'' when Johnny comes marching home".

"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", entitled "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 New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in 1864, by A. E. Blackmar.

Notable recordings

The song became popular during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

with recordings in 1942 by

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

Bluebird Records Bluebird Records is an American record label best known for its low-cost releases, primarily of children's music, blues, jazz and swing in the 1930s and 1940s. Bluebird was founded in 1932 as a lower-priced subsidiary label of RCA Victor. Bluebi ...

with vocals by

Tex Beneke Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke ( ; February 12, 1914 – May 30, 2000) was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. Hi ...

Marion Hutton Marion Hutton (born Marion Thornburg; March 10, 1919 – January 10, 1987) was an American singer and actress. She is best remembered for her singing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1938 to 1942. She was the sister of actress and s ...

, and

The Modernaires The Modernaires were an American vocal group, best known for performing in the 1940s with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Career The Modernaires began in 1934 as "Don Juan, Two and Three," a trio of schoolmates from Lafayette High School in Buffa ...

, and

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decade ...

and

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo ...

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

. In 1959,

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

recorded the song, followed by Jaye P. Morgan the following year. Jazz organist Jimmy Smith recorded a version for his 1960 album, ''

Crazy! Baby ''Crazy! Baby'' is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith (musician), Jimmy Smith, recorded on January 4, 1960 and released on Blue Note Records, Blue Note later that year.

''. English pop singer

Adam Faith Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. As a British rock and roll teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK singles chart with " What ...

sang a version titled "Johnny Comes Marching Home", used over the opening and closing title credits for the British crime thriller '' Never Let Go'' (1960). This version was arranged and conducted by John Barry. Another version was released as a single, reaching No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. British punk band

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

recorded a reworded version in 1978 titled " English Civil War (Johnny Comes Marching Home)". This version was covered by The Levellers on the ''Julie'' EP released in 1994. In 1983–84, the French punk band

Bérurier Noir Bérurier Noir () was a French punk rock band active from 1983 to 1989. The band reformed from 2003 to 2006. The band is associated with anarcho-punk. Materials related to the band were donated to the Bibliothèque Nationale de France The ...

took up the melody on the track (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: "Johnny returns from the war") from the album ''Macadam Massacre''. The song

Civil War (song) "Civil War" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses that originally appeared on the 1990 compilation '' Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal'' and later on the band's 1991 album ''Use Your Illusion II''. It is a protest song on war, refer ...

from the 1991 album

Use Your Illusion II ''Use Your Illusion II'' is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released by Geffen Records on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart '' Use Your Illusion I''. Both albums were released in conjunction wit ...

by the US band

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

uses the melody of the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" in the

Axl Rose W. Axl Rose ( ; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in ...

whistle in the intro and outro of the song. The 2015

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

film

Girls und Panzer der Film is a 2015 Japanese animated film and a sequel to the 2012 anime series ''Girls und Panzer''. Produced by Actas and distributed by Showgate, the film is directed by Tsutomu Mizushima from a script written by Reiko Yoshida and features an ensemb ...

recorded an original orchestra rendition of the track.

References

Bibliography

*Erbsen, Wayne: ''Rousing Songs and True Tales of the Civil War.'' Native Ground Books & Music, 2008. *Lambert, Louis (Patrick Gilmore). "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". Boston: Henry Tolman & Co. (1863) *Lighter, Jonathan. ''"The Best Antiwar Song Ever Written,"'' Occasional Papers in Folklore No. 1. CAMSCO Music and Loomis House Press, 2012.

External links

"When Johnny Comes Marching Home"
John Terrill (E. Berliner's Gramophone (1893)&mdas
Library of Congress ''Performing Arts Encyclopedia''

mdas
Library of Congress ''Performing Arts Encyclopedia''

"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Sheet Music)Oldroyd, Osbourne H. ''The Good Old Songs We Used to Sing, '61 to '67''
&mdas
''Project Gutenberg''

* ttp://contemplator.com/america/whenjohn.html MIDI and descriptionbr>Library of Congress copy, For Bales
* {{Authority control Songs of the American Civil War Songs about soldiers Songs about fictional male characters American patriotic songs Burl Ives songs Adam Faith songs Drinking songs 1863 songs