Veterans Day

Official Name
Veterans Day
(formerly Armistice Day)

Observed
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
(always November 11)

Free MP3 Download
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
recorded by Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band
(featuring Jack Stamates - cello; Chris DeAngelis - bass, backing vocal)

Lyrics and information about When Johnny Comes Marching Home are further down this page.

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About Veterans Day
Veterans Day is a day to honor American veterans of all wars for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. It came into existence in its present form on June 1, 1954, with the renaming of Armistice Day. The first commemoration of Armistice Day occurred on November 11, 1919, exactly one year after an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, went into effect between the Allied nations and Germany, signaling the end of World War I.

A resolution passed by the United States Congress on June 4, 1926 stated:

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations

On October 8, 1954, the year Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation,” stating

On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.

Visit the United States Department of Veterans Affairs website for more Veterans Day history, information on ceremonies, posters, teacher guides, and more.

Music of Veterans Day
From the American Revolution forward, there have been countless songs written and sung during and about every war in United States history: marching songs, patriotic hymns, sentimental ballads, propaganda songs, comic songs, boasting songs, and songs about fighting and battles. Those left behind have sung songs about their loved ones marching off to war and, hopefully, returning home again. From the mid-20th century, deeply personal songs have expressed the post-war turmoil faced by veterans and other survivors of war.

About When Johnny Comes Marching Home
This musical hope for peace originated during the Civil War and has demonstrated lasting appeal, growing in popularity over the years. Soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict sang it, identifying with the feeling of joy that was anticipated with the end of the fighting and the return of loved ones to their homes.

The first printed sheet music for the song credits the words and music to Louis Lambert, which was determined later to be a pen name for Patrick S. Gilmore. Gilmore was born in Ireland and came to America in the 1840s along with many others, fleeing the famine of those years. He was a gifted musician, becoming Bandmaster for the United States Army during the Civil War and, in post-war years, the organizer of Monster Peace-Jublilees featuring orchestras of a thousand musicians and choruses of 10,000 voices.

Gilmore claimed to have learned the tune for When Johnny Comes Marching Home from an unidentified African American singer and that it was a traditional African American melody. The Irish-sounding melody and Gilmore's background lead many to discredit this claim, but no definitive evidence of the tune's origin has been discovered. It is possible that he adapted the melody from a traditional Irish folk song.

When Johnny Comes Marching Home

When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurrah, hurrah!
We’ll give him a hearty welcome then
Hurrah, hurrah!
The men will cheer, the boys will shout
The ladies, they will all turn out
And we’ll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home

The old church bell will peal with joy
Hurrah, hurrah!
To welcome home our darling boy
Hurrah, hurrah!
The village lads and lassies say
With roses they will strew the way
And we’ll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home

Get ready for the jubilee
Hurrah, hurrah!
We’ll give the hero three times three
Hurrah, hurrah!
The laurel wreath is ready now
To place upon his loyal brow
And we’ll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home

Let love and friendship on that day
Hurrah, hurrah!
Their choicest treasures then display
Hurrah, hurrah!
And let each one perform some part
To fill with joy the warrior’s heart
And we’ll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home

Labor Day

Official Name
Labor Day

Observed
Monday, September 7, 2009
(always the first Monday in September)

Free MP3 Download
Labor Song
(recorded by Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band)

Lyrics and information about Labor Song and music of the American labor movement are further down this page.

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About Labor Day
Labor Day is a national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States. It is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

The holiday was created by the American labor movement in the late 19th century and was first celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. Municipal ordinances led to legislation recognizing the holiday in various states through the early 1890s. On June 28, 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

Music of Labor Day
People have been making up songs to accompany their work since time immemorial. American occupational songs paint vivid pictures of how work has been done in the United States from colonial times to the present. Songs and ballads have been sung to describe and/or accompany the work of lumberjacks, farmers, sailors, slaves, textile workers, cowboys, mothers, miners, railroaders, factory workers, and many others.

As labor unions formed and took shape in the United States during the 19th century, songs beckoned workers to join and support them. The labor press printed countless songs, ballads, and verse which described problems such as poor working conditions and unemployment, as well as songs that expressed specific demands of workers, such as shorter working days and better wages. In the labor publications, generally just the lyrics were printed, along with the name of a well-known traditional or popular melody to which they should be sung.

In the 20th century, music of the labor movement remained vital, inspirational, and influential with songwriters such as Joe Hill, Ralph Chaplin, and the Almanac Singers (including Pete Seeger, Lee Hayes, and Woody Guthrie) writing and singing classic songs such as Solidarity Forever, Union Maid, and Which Side are You On? These and other labor songs exhibit the fighting spirit of the workers and their determined struggle to improve their conditions through organization.

About Labor Song
When I set out to find and record a song for this Celebrate with Song blog post, I knew I wanted a song that celebrated the contributions of American workers and highlighted some of their struggles, but was not specific to a single industry or cause. As I pored through books and recordings, I discovered that what I wanted to convey was not found in a single labor song, but in the sum of every labor song.

One song I kept coming back to is All I Want (I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister). The tune is from a version of the mountain song East Virginia. The words were written by a young man named Jim Garland who was blacklisted from the mines of Harlan County, Kentucky in the 1930s amidst bitter struggles between miners and mine owners. Many lines in the song captured the essence of Labor Day for me: "I don't want your millions, mister," "All I want is the right to live, mister," yet other lines were specific to that struggle, "Give to me my old job back."

I decided to use All I Want as a starting point, and to borrow verses from other labor songs in order to obtain the breadth I desired. That's when the real fun began. I searched books such as Best Loved American Folk Songs by John and Alan Lomax, Songs of Man by Norman Luboff and Win Stracke, and American Labor Songs of the Nineteenth Century by Philip S. Foner, which includes hundreds of songs that were originally printed in the labor press. I stopped my search when I had twenty-three stanzas that both fit the tune (with minor adaptations) and contributed well to the celebration of labor.

In the interest of keeping the song to a manageable length, I eventually selected and sequenced eight stanzas. Original song sources for each stanza are listed at the end of the lyrics.

Labor Song
chorus:
I don't want your millions, mister
There’s hard times somewhere every day
All I want is the right to live, mister
Honest work for honest pay

verses:
I drove the plow in virgin soil
My weary feet the furrow trod
At last I gathered golden grain
‘Twas mine, hard-earned by toil and pain (1)

I carried rock from granite hill
Laid stone on stone till giant mill
Transformed my grain to tempting food
‘Twas mine, hard-earned by sweat and blood (2)

(chorus)

How little do the rich men care
When they sit at home secure
What dangers all the workers dare
And the hardships they endure (3)

Here’s to the delver in the mine
The sailor on the ocean
With those of every craft and line
Who work with true devotion (4)

(chorus)

When toiling millions work to fill
The wealthy coffers strong
When hands are crushed that work and fill
There must be something wrong (5)

John Henry told his captain
A man ain’t nothin’ but a man
But before I let this steam drill beat me
Gonna I’ll die with my hammer in my hand (6)

(chorus)

And by union, what we will
Can be accomplished still
Drops of water turn a mill
Singly none, singly none (7)

Freedom’s name is mighty sweet
All this world is gonna meet
Keep your hand on the plow
Hold on, hold on (8)

(chorus)

Sources:

1. adapted from Labor’s Demand; written by Frank I. Fisher for the San Francisco assemblies of Knights of Labor c. 1882
2. adapted from Labor’s Demand; written by Frank I. Fisher for the San Francisco assemblies of Knights of Labor c. 1882
3. adapted from Down in a Coal Mine
4. adapted from A Toast for Labor; printed in Boston Daily Evening Voice, July 3, 1867
5. adapted from There Must Be Something Wrong; printed in Voice of Industry, February 12, 1847
6. adapted from various John Henry songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries
7. adapted from a poem that headed the constitution of the American Miner’s Association and was put to music and sung by union membership c. 1861
8. from Keep Your Hand on the Plow; a folk song product of labor and singing by both blacks and whites

Happy Labor Day!

Memorial Day

Official Name
Memorial Day

(originally "Decoration Day")

Observed

Monday, May 25, 2009

(always the last Monday in May)

Free Download
The Vacant Chair
(recorded by Matthew Sabatella; words by Henry S. Washburn; music by George F. Root)

This song was written during the American Civil War at Thanksgiving time in 1861,as families in the North and South gathered for holiday celebrations and found themselves staring at "the vacant chair." The song was one of the most widely sung during the Civil War, popular among soldiers and civilians in both the North and South.

Song lyrics are at the end of this post.

How to Download the Song
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About Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for the 1.2 million men and women who have died in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War. In the 1860s, during and after the American Civil War, many towns and communities gathered to honor fallen soldiers. This movement culminated with General John Logan's proclamation on May 5, 1868 that Decoration Day (as it was originally called) be observed nationwide. On May 30 of the same year, the first large observance was held at Arlington National Cemetery, and the tombs of fallen Union and Confederate soldiers were decorated with flowers in remembrance.

For years, many of the states in the U.S. South honored their dead on separate days, refusing to celebrate Decoration Day. After World War I the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. The name Memorial Day was first used in 1882, became common after World War II, and was declared
the official name by Federal law in 1967. The National Holiday Act of 1971, ensuring a three-day weekend for Federal holidays, moved the official date to the last Monday in May.

Traditional ways to observe Memorial Day include visiting cemetaries and memorials and flying the flag of the United States at quarter-staff from dawn until noon local time. Towns and communities often have ceremonies and parades in honor of local residents who have paid the ultimate price. Fire and police departments frequently honor their members who have lost their lives in the line of duty as well.

It may be argued that observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed in December, 2000. It asks that at 3:00PM local time, all Americans "voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps."

Still, some contend that observance of the holiday has suffered from "three-day weekend" mentality, and there is a movement to restore the traditional day of observance for Memorial Day back to May 30th. For more information on the issue, visit USMemorialDay.org.

Music of Memorial Day
Most patriotic songs are appropriate for Memorial Day, especially songs that depict the service of soldiers and remember those who lost their lives. Every war in the history of the United States has yielded songs that honor fallen soldiers.

The Vacant Chair

chorus:
We shall meet but we shall miss him
There will be one vacant chair
We shall linger to caress him
When we breathe our evening prayer

verses:
We shall meet but we shall miss him
There will be one vacant chair
We shall linger to caress him
While we breathe our evening prayer
When a year ago we gathered
Joy was in his mild blue eye
But a golden chord is severed
And our hopes in ruin lie

At our fireside, sad and lonely
Often will the bosom swell
At remembrance of the story
How our noble Willie fell
How he strove to bear our banner
Through the thickest of the fight
And uphold our country’s honor
In the strength of manhood’s night

True, they tell us wreaths of glory
Ever more will deck his brow
But this soothes the anguish only
Sweeping o’er our heartstrings now
Sleep today, oh early fallen
In thy green and narrow bed
Dirges from the pine and cypress

Mingle with the tears we shed

Presidents Day

Official Name
Washington's Birthday

Observed
Monday, February 16, 2009
(always the third Monday in February)

Free Download
Lincoln and Liberty
(from the album Songs in the Life of Abraham Lincoln: Ballad of America Volume 3 by Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band)

At the 1860 Republican convention in Chicago, Abraham Lincoln won his party’s nomination for president of the United States. In 19th century America, hardly a presidential candidate won an election without having his name linked to liberty in a song. Jesse Hutchinson, Jr., of New Hampshire’s famous Hutchinson Family Singers, wrote the lyrics to Lincoln and Liberty and set them to the tune of Rosin the Bow, an Irish melody that is one of the most parodied in folk music. The Hutchinson Family Singers traveled the country singing anti-slavery and pro-Union songs, frequently at Lincoln’s campaign appearances, and later, in the White House.

Lincoln and Liberty became Lincoln’s official campaign song in 1860 and was published in the book The Hutchinson’s Republican Songster, which was used at rallies everywhere. On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. He bid farewell to friends and supporters in Springfield on February 11, 1861 and boarded a train bound for Washington. By the time he took office on March 4, 1861, his publicly stated belief that slavery was “a moral, a social, and a political wrong” prompted the lower South to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America in an effort to protect their “peculiar institution.” When Confederate forces attacked a United States military installation at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina on April 12, 1861, the Civil War had begun.

How to Download the Song
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About President's Day

Washington’s Birthday was established as a federal holiday in 1880 to honor the first president of the United States, who is frequently lauded as “the Father of our Country.” Celebrated for his leadership in the founding of the nation, George Washington was seen as a unifying force for the new republic, and his presidency set an example for future holders of the office.
The holiday was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, February 22nd, until 1971 when it was shifted to the third Monday in February as a result of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 proposed renaming the holiday Presidents’ Day to honor both Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who was born on February 12. Although the proposal failed in committee, the holiday is commonly referred to as Presidents Day, and there is variety in the official naming of the holiday at the state level and in which president(s) it is intended to honor.

Music of President's Day

Many songs have been composed to honor specific presidents, either during their presidency or in subsequent years. Songs have been written for political campaigns, inaugural ceremonies, funerals and as celebrations of achievement.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Official Name
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Observed
Monday, January 19, 2009
(always the third Monday in January)

Free Download
This Little Light
(recorded by Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band)

This gospel song was written by Harry Dixon Loes circa 1920. It is often thought of as a slave spiritual, however it does not appear in any collection of jubilee or plantation songs from the 19th century. It became a civil rights anthem in the 1950s and 1960s.

How to Download the Song
To gain instant access to a free MP3 of Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band's recording of this song, just subscribe to Matthew's email list. With your free subscription you will receive an email that contains a link to a Subscribers Only page that features free MP3s of recordings from Celebrate with Song, plus songs from his Ballad of America albums and exclusive unreleased tracks you won't find anywhere else.

Your information will not be shared with anyone else, and you will only be emailed approximately once a month to be notified of new releases. You can easily unsubscribe at any time. If you are already a subscriber, but do not know how to access the 'Subscribers Only' page, send an email to subscriptions@matthewsabatella.com with "Where's the page?" as the subject.

About Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a Federal holiday in the United States that occurs on the third Monday in January each year. The holiday celebrates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the chief spokesman of the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s and an advocate of non-violent resistance as a method for social change. The civil rights movement successfully protested racial discrimination in Federal and state law.

The Federal holiday honoring Dr. King was first observed in 1986. In 1994, Congress initiated the King Day of Service, which transforms the holiday into a national day of community service grounded in King's belief in the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. The aim is to make the holiday a day ON (as opposed to a day off), where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “beloved community” that Dr. King envisioned.

Music of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The civil rights movement was perhaps the greatest singing movement in the history of the United States. Songs communicated what people involved in the movement were striving for, and provided them with the strength, courage, and inspiration to endure.

The songs and the movement itself originated primarily in southern black communities. The church was the heart of these communities, and singing was central to their worship experience. Words to well-known spirituals and gospel songs were adapted to become freedom songs. Often a single word or phrase from an old slave spiritual could be changed to convert the song into a contemporary plea for racial equality. Slow-paced spirituals and hymns expressed hope and determination, while rhythmic jubilee spirituals and gospel songs protested boldly and celebrated victory.

As the movement spread throughout the South and into the North, so too did the songs. In the years since the civil rights movment, songs from the movement have been sung by people seeking freedom in other places, including Tiananmen Square and the Berlin Wall.