[Dixielandjazz] Re: Battle Hymn & John Brown

[Bill Gunter]

Hi Pat,

You wrote:

>I have disagreed with you before, and it is no surprise that I have to 
>respectfully disagree with you again.
>      I could take apart your post piece by piece, . . . "

Am I missing something here?

I didn't realize we were debating the morality of this issue. I certainly 
wasn't.

All I was suggesting was that Julia got her inspiration from an earlier tune 
she heard called "John Brown's Body Lies a Moulderin' in the Grave"

Now Julia wrote these lines:

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
He has trampled out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are store
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword
His truth goes marching on . . .

Glory Glory Haleluja, etc."

Are those the lyrics to which you object?

The song she heard (to the same melody as "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was:

"John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah, etc."

Are those the lyrics to which you object?

Recollect, Pat, that I was simply looking at the sequence of lyric versions 
set to the tune of "Glory glory haleluja . . ." including the silly parodies 
such as "We wear our pink pajamas in the summer when it's hot . . . etc."

I guess your response may be based on your answer to the following choices . 
. .

The Julia W. Howe song, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is (choose one):

A. a noble song with a noble theme of righteousness rising up to vanquish 
evil.
B. an evil song the sole purpose of which is to justify the killing of 
innocent people with whom you disagree.
C. a song sung by one's peer group to articulate one's own attitudes.
D. a piece of music from which one can derive his or her own interpretations
E. All of the above.
F. None of the above.

However, I have not advocated any position of any sort regarding this song 
other than take a casual glance at its several manifestations over the 
years.

What's there to "take apart???"

Cheers,

Bill
jazzboard at hotmail.com