FReeper Canteen ~ World War I Songs ~ February 19, 2007

The Freeper Canteen

pays tribute to

The Music of
World War I

(Thanks for the idea, SandRat!)

Johnnie, get your gun,
Get your gun, get your gun,
Take it on the run,
On the run, on the run.
Hear them calling, you and me,
Every son of liberty.
Hurry right away,
No delay, go today,
Make your daddy glad
To have had such a lad.
Tell your sweetheart not to pine,
To be proud her boy's in line.
(chorus sung twice)

Johnnie, get your gun,
Get your gun, get your gun,
Johnnie show the Hun
Who's a son of a gun.
Hoist the flag and let her fly,
Yankee Doodle do or die.
Pack your little kit,
Show your grit, do your bit.
Yankee to the ranks,
From the towns and the tanks.
Make your mother proud of you,
And the old Red, White and Blue.
(chorus sung twice)

Chorus
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there -
That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming
Ev'rywhere.
So prepare, say a pray'r,
Send the word, send the word to beware.
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over
Over there.

Knickerbockers - Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag

First Verse
Private Perks is a funny little codger
With a smile a funny smile.
Five feet none, he’s and artful little dodger
With a smile a funny smile.
Flush or broke he’ll have his little joke,
He can’t be suppress’d.
All the other fellows have to grin
When he gets this off his chest, Hi!

Chorus (sung twice after each verse)
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile,
While you’ve a lucifer to light your fag,
Smile, boys, that’s the style.
What’s the use of worrying?
It never was worth while, so
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile.

Second Verse
Private Perks went a-marching into Flanders
With his smile his funny smile.
He was lov’d by the privates and commanders
For his smile his funny smile.
When a throng of Bosches came along
With a mighty swing,
Perks yell’d out, “This little bunch is mine!
Keep your heads down, boys and sing, Hi!

Third Verse
Private Perks he came back from Bosche-shooting
With his smile his funny smile.
Round his home he then set about recruiting
With his smile his funny smile.
He told all his pals, the short, the tall,
What a time he’d had;
And as each enlisted like a man
Private Perks said ‘Now my lad,’ Hi!

American Quartet - Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!

Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny!
How you can love!
Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny!
Heavens above!
You make my sad heart jump with joy,
And when you're near I just
Can't sit still a minute.
I'm so, Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny!
Please tell me dear.
What makes me love you so?
You're not handsome, it's true,
But when I look at you,
I just, Oh, Johnny!
Oh, Johnny! Oh!

John McCormack - The Star Spangled Banner

American Quartet - Goodbye Broadway, Hello France

Verse 1:
Good-bye New York town, good-bye Miss Liberty,
Your light of freedom will guide us across the sea,
Ev'ry soldier's sweetheart bidding good-bye,
Ev'ry soldier's mother drying her eye.
Cheer up we'll soon be there, Singing this Yankee air:

Chorus:
Good-bye Broadway*, Hello France,
We're ten million strong,
Good-bye sweethearts wives and mothers,
It won't take us long.
Don't you worry while we're there,
It's for you we're fighting too,
So Good-bye Broadway, Hello France,
We're going to square our debt to you.

Verse 2:
Vive Pershing is the cry across the sea.
We're united in this fight for liberty.
France sent us a soldier, brave Lafayette
Whose deeds and fame we cannot forget.
Now that we have the chance
We'll pay our debt to France.

Chorus:
Good-bye Broadway*, Hello France,
We're ten million strong,
Good-bye sweethearts wives and mothers,
It won't take us long.
Don't you worry while we're there,
(ad lib) It's for you we're fighting for,
So Good-bye Broadway, Hello France,
We're going to help you win this war.

Charles Harrison - All The World Will Be Jealous Of Me

Peerless Quartet - America, Here's My Boy

First Verse
There’s a million mothers knocking at the nations door,
A million mothers, yes and there’ll be millions more,
And while within each mother heart they pray,
Just hark what one brave mother has to say.

Second Verse
There’s a million mothers waiting by the fireside bright,
A million mothers, waiting for the call tonight.
And while within each heart there’ll be a tear,
She’ll watch her boy go marching with a cheer.

Chorus
America, I raised a boy for you.
America, You’ll find him staunch and true,
Place a gun upon his shoulder,
He is ready to die or do.
America, he is my only one; My hope, my pride and joy,
But if I had another, he would march beside his brother;
America, here’s my boy.

Nora Bayes - (Goodbye And Luck Be With You) Laddie Boy

Prince's Orchestra - You're A Grand Old Flag

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

American Quartet - Let's All Be Americans Now

(Irving Berlin, Edgar Leslie & Geo. W. Meyer)

[1st verse:]
Peace has always been our pray'r
Now there's trouble in the air
War is talked of ev'rywhere
Still in God we trust
We're not looking for any kind of war
But if fight we must

[Refrain:]
It's up to you!
What will you do?

England or France may have your sympathy
Or Germany
But you'll agree
That

Now is the time
To fall in line

You swore that you would so be true to your vow
Let's all be Americans now

[2nd verse:]
Lincoln, Grant and Washington
They were peaceful men each one
Still they took the sword and gun
When real trouble came
And I feel somehow, they are wond'ring now
If we'll do the same

Prince's Orchestra - For The Freedom of the World Over There

Irving Kaufman/Columbia Quartet - Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here!


(Words by D.A. Estron / Music by Theodore Morse and Arthur Sullivan, 1917)
Irving Kaufman - 1943

A gang of good fellows are we, (are we,) Are we, (are we,) are we, (are we,) With never a worry you see, (you see,) You see, (you see,) you see, (you see,) We laugh and joke, we sing and smoke, And live life merrily; No matter the weather When we get together We have a jubilee.

[Chorus]

We love one another we do, (we do,) We do, (we do,) we do, (we do,) With brotherly love and it's true, (it's true,) It's true, (it's true,) it's true, (it's true,) It's one for all, the big and small, It's always me for you; No matter the weather When we get together We drink a toast for two.

[Chorus]

When out for a good time we go, (we go,) We go, (we go,) we go, (we go,) There nothing we do that is slow, (is slow,) Is slow, (is slow,) is slow, (is slow,) Of joy we get our share you bet, The gang will tell you so; No matter the weather When we get together We sing this song you know:

[Chorus]

ORIGINAL CHORUS:

Hail! Hail! the gang's all here, What the deuce do we care, What the deuce do we care, Hail! Hail! we're full of cheer, What the deuce do we care Bill!

OTHER WELL KNOWN VERSIONS:

Hail, hail, the gang's all here, Never mind the weather, here we are together; Hail, hail, the gang's all here, Sure we're glad that you're here, too!

Hail, hail, the gang's all here, We're a bunch of live ones, not a single dead one; Hail, hail, the gang's all here, Sure I'm glad that I'm here, too!

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