The First Gun Is Fired: Difference between revisions
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"'''The First Gun |
"'''The First Gun Is Fired: May God Protect the Right'''" was the first song written specifically for the [[American Civil War]]. It was first published and distributed three days after the [[Battle of Fort Sumter]]. [[George F. Root]], who wrote it the day before it first appeared in print, is said to have produced the most songs of anyone about the war, over thirty in total.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Silber |editor-first=Irwin |year=1995 |title=Songs of the Civil War |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |page=4 |isbn=978-0-486-28438-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Kelley|editor-first1=Bruce C.|editor-last2=Snell|editor-first2=Mark A.|year=2004|title=Bugle Resounding: An Overview of Music of the Civil War Era |publisher=University of Missouri Press |page=30 |isbn=978-0-8262-2153-7}}</ref> |
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"The First Gun Is Fired" was first performed in public at a patriotic rally in Metropolitan Hall in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], by two well-known singers of the day, the Lombard Brothers. Root distributed copies of the sheet music to the audience. The song caught on with the public and became one of the most popular tunes of the Civil War.<ref>{{cite web|title=Clio and Calliope Page Two|url=http://www.library.jhu.edu/collections/specialcollections/sheetmusic/musictours/text/cliotwo.html |website=A Musical Tour Through the Lester S. Levy Collection |publisher=Johns Hopkins University|access-date=2008-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121103241/http://www.library.jhu.edu/collections/specialcollections/sheetmusic/musictours/text/cliotwo.html|archive-date=2008-11-21|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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==Lyrics== |
==Lyrics== |
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1.<br> |
1.<br /> |
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The first gun is fired!<br> |
The first gun is fired!<br /> |
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May God protect the right!<br> |
May God protect the right!<br /> |
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Let the freeborn sons of the North arise<br> |
Let the freeborn sons of the North arise<br /> |
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In |
In power's avenging night;<br /> |
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Shall the glorious Union our |
Shall the glorious Union our father's have made,<br /> |
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By ruthless hands be |
By ruthless hands be sunder'd,<br /> |
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And we of freedom sacred rights<br> |
And we of freedom sacred rights<br /> |
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By |
By trait'rous foes be plunder'd? |
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'''''Chorus—'''''Arise! arise! arise!<br> |
'''''Chorus—'''''Arise! arise! arise!<br /> |
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And gird ye for the fight,<br> |
And gird ye for the fight,<br /> |
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And let our watchword ever be,<br> |
And let our watchword ever be,<br /> |
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"May God protect the right!" |
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2.<br> |
2.<br /> |
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The first gun is fired!<br> |
The first gun is fired!<br /> |
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Its echoes thrill the land,<br> |
Its echoes thrill the land,<br /> |
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And the bounding hearts of the patriot throng,<br> |
And the bounding hearts of the patriot throng,<br /> |
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Now firmly take their stand;<br> |
Now firmly take their stand;<br /> |
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We will bow no more to the tyrant few,<br> |
We will bow no more to the tyrant few,<br /> |
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Who scorn our long forbearing,<br> |
Who scorn our long forbearing,<br /> |
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But with |
But with Columbia's stars and stripes<br /> |
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We'll quench their trait'rous daring. |
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'''''Chorus—'''''Arise! arise! arise!<br> |
'''''Chorus—'''''Arise! arise! arise!<br /> |
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And gird ye for the fight,<br> |
And gird ye for the fight,<br /> |
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And let our watchword ever be,<br> |
And let our watchword ever be,<br /> |
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"May God protect the right!" |
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3.<br> |
3.<br /> |
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The first gun is fired!<br> |
The first gun is fired!<br /> |
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Oh, heed the signal well,<br> |
Oh, heed the signal well,<br /> |
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And the thunder tone as it rolls along<br> |
And the thunder tone as it rolls along<br /> |
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Shall sound |
Shall sound oppression's knell;<br /> |
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For the arm of freedom is mighty still,<br> |
For the arm of freedom is mighty still,<br /> |
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But strength shall fail us never,<br> |
But strength shall fail us never,<br /> |
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Its strength shall fail us never,<br> |
Its strength shall fail us never,<br /> |
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That strength |
That strength we'll give to our righteous cause,<br /> |
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And our glorious land forever. |
And our glorious land forever. |
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'''''Chorus—'''''Arise! arise! arise!<br> |
'''''Chorus—'''''Arise! arise! arise!<br /> |
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And gird ye for the fight,<br> |
And gird ye for the fight,<br /> |
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And let our watchword ever be,<br> |
And let our watchword ever be,<br /> |
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"May God protect the right!"<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Smith|editor-first=Wilson G.|year=1886 |title=Grand Army War Songs: A Collection of War Songs, Battle Songs, Camp Songs, National Songs, Marching Songs, Etc., as Sung by Our Boys in Blue in Camp and Field: To Which Is Added a Selection of Memorial Songs and Hymns for Use on Decoration Day and Other Special Occasions |url=https://archive.org/details/grawarsong00unse |location=Chicago |publisher=S. Brainard's Sons |page=[https://archive.org/details/grawarsong00unse/page/56/mode/2up 56] |access-date=2022-10-16}}</ref> |
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“May God protect the right!” |
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<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=acTmAAAAMAAJ&dq=the%20first%20gun%20is%20fired%20george%20f%20root&pg=PA56#v=onepage&q&f=false] Retrieved 2011-10-2.</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [http://www.library.jhu.edu/collections/specialcollections/sheetmusic/musictours/clio/firstgun.html Sheet music for |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090108052016/http://www.library.jhu.edu/collections/specialcollections/sheetmusic/musictours/clio/firstgun.html Sheet music for "The First Gun Is Fired"] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:First Gun Is Fired, The}} |
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[[Category:1861 songs]] |
[[Category:1861 songs]] |
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[[Category:Songs written by George Frederick Root]] |
[[Category:Songs written by George Frederick Root]] |
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Latest revision as of 13:44, 16 October 2022
"The First Gun Is Fired: May God Protect the Right" was the first song written specifically for the American Civil War. It was first published and distributed three days after the Battle of Fort Sumter. George F. Root, who wrote it the day before it first appeared in print, is said to have produced the most songs of anyone about the war, over thirty in total.[1][2]
"The First Gun Is Fired" was first performed in public at a patriotic rally in Metropolitan Hall in Chicago, Illinois, by two well-known singers of the day, the Lombard Brothers. Root distributed copies of the sheet music to the audience. The song caught on with the public and became one of the most popular tunes of the Civil War.[3]
Lyrics
[edit]1.
The first gun is fired!
May God protect the right!
Let the freeborn sons of the North arise
In power's avenging night;
Shall the glorious Union our father's have made,
By ruthless hands be sunder'd,
And we of freedom sacred rights
By trait'rous foes be plunder'd?
Chorus—Arise! arise! arise!
And gird ye for the fight,
And let our watchword ever be,
"May God protect the right!"
2.
The first gun is fired!
Its echoes thrill the land,
And the bounding hearts of the patriot throng,
Now firmly take their stand;
We will bow no more to the tyrant few,
Who scorn our long forbearing,
But with Columbia's stars and stripes
We'll quench their trait'rous daring.
Chorus—Arise! arise! arise!
And gird ye for the fight,
And let our watchword ever be,
"May God protect the right!"
3.
The first gun is fired!
Oh, heed the signal well,
And the thunder tone as it rolls along
Shall sound oppression's knell;
For the arm of freedom is mighty still,
But strength shall fail us never,
Its strength shall fail us never,
That strength we'll give to our righteous cause,
And our glorious land forever.
Chorus—Arise! arise! arise!
And gird ye for the fight,
And let our watchword ever be,
"May God protect the right!"[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Silber, Irwin, ed. (1995). Songs of the Civil War. Courier Dover Publications. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-486-28438-5.
- ^ Kelley, Bruce C.; Snell, Mark A., eds. (2004). Bugle Resounding: An Overview of Music of the Civil War Era. University of Missouri Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-8262-2153-7.
- ^ "Clio and Calliope Page Two". A Musical Tour Through the Lester S. Levy Collection. Johns Hopkins University. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ^ Smith, Wilson G., ed. (1886). Grand Army War Songs: A Collection of War Songs, Battle Songs, Camp Songs, National Songs, Marching Songs, Etc., as Sung by Our Boys in Blue in Camp and Field: To Which Is Added a Selection of Memorial Songs and Hymns for Use on Decoration Day and Other Special Occasions. Chicago: S. Brainard's Sons. p. 56. Retrieved October 16, 2022.