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Stallion

(6,474 posts)
Sun Jun 14, 2020, 12:36 PM Jun 2020

Its Time to Bring Back the "Battle Cry of Freedom"

I can guess why this song which references "down with the Traitor" was deemphasized-l love this song-there's an especially great version in the movie Lincoln as 12th Amendment is signed

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Its Time to Bring Back the "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Original Post) Stallion Jun 2020 OP
Let's be sure that the Confederate version is not revived csziggy Jun 2020 #1
I've been thinking the same thing Vogon_Glory Jun 2020 #2

csziggy

(34,136 posts)
1. Let's be sure that the Confederate version is not revived
Sun Jun 14, 2020, 12:51 PM
Jun 2020

Here are the full lyrics - including the Confederate version:

Yes we’ll rally round the flag, boys, we’ll rally once again,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom,

We will rally from the hillside, we’ll gather from the plain,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor, up with the star;
While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

We are springing to the call with a million freemen more,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

And we’ll fill our vacant ranks of our brothers gone before,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor, up with the star;
While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

We will welcome to our numbers the loyal, true and brave,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

And although he may be poor, he shall never be a slave,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor, up with the star;
While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

So we’re springing to the call from the East and from the West,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

And we’ll hurl the rebel crew from the land we love best,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor, up with the star;
While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!


Confederate version lyrics:
Our flag is proudly floating on the land and on the main,

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

Beneath it oft we’ve conquered, and we’ll conquer oft again!

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

Our Dixie forever! She’s never at a loss!
Down with the eagle and up with the cross!
We'll rally ‘round the bonny flag, we’ll rally once again,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

Our gallant boys have marched to the rolling of the drums.

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

And the leaders in charge cry out, “Come, boys, come!”

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!--

Our Dixie forever! She’s never at a loss!
Down with the eagle and up with the cross!
We'll rally ‘round the bonny flag, we’ll rally once again,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

They have laid down their lives on the bloody battle field.

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

Their motto is resistance --“To tyrants we’ll not yield!”

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!--

Our Dixie forever! She’s never at a loss!
Down with the eagle and up with the cross!
We’ll rally ‘round the bonny flag, we’ll rally once again,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

While our boys have responded and to the fields have gone.

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

Our noble women also have aided them at home.

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!--

Our Dixie forever! She’s never at a loss!
Down with the eagle and up with the cross!
We'll rally ‘round the bonny flag, we’ll rally once again,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!


https://www.civilwarheritagetrails.org/civil-war-music/battle-cry-of-freedom.html

ETA - I find it totally ironic that the Confederates were "shouting the battle cry of freedom" while they fought to keep a large percentage of their population in slavery.

Vogon_Glory

(9,117 posts)
2. I've been thinking the same thing
Sun Jun 14, 2020, 03:00 PM
Jun 2020

White supremacists like Iowa’s ousted Steve King with an Effing Confederate Battle Flag in his office, Alabama’s Jeff Sessions trying to make a comeback, Orange Julius refusing to change the names of those military bases—the time is ripe for us to claim “The Union Forever” (aka The Battle Cry of Freedom) and sing it in the reactionaries’ faces.

I hope some of our party’s campaign headquarters can reopen on Election Night and we can sing it out loud in the Republicans’ and Fox News’ faces.

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