Battle Cry of Freedom

The "Battle Cry of Freedom" is a song written in 1862 by American composer George Frederick Root (1820–1895) during the American Civil War. A patriotic song advocating the cause of the Union, it became so popular that composer H. L. Schreiner and lyricist W. H. Barnes adapted it for the Confederate States of America. The Union version was used as the campaign song for the Lincoln-Johnson ticket in the 1864 presidential election. The song was so popular that the music publisher at one time had 14 printing presses going at one time and still could not keep up with demand. It is estimated that over 700,000 copies of this song were put in circulation. Charles Ives quoted the song in his own patriotic song, "They Are There".

Lyrics (Union 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!


 * (Chorus)


 * The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!


 * Down with the traitors, up with the stars;


 * While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,


 * Shouting the battle cry of freedom!


 * (Chorus)

We are springing to the call of our brothers gone before,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

And we'll fill our vacant ranks with a million freemen more,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!


 * Chorus

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

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

And although they may be poor, not a man shall be a slave,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!


 * (Chorus)

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 that we love best,

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.


 * (Chorus)

Lyrics (Confederate version)
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!


 * (Chorus)


 * 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!


 * Chorus

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

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

Their motto is resistance – "To the tyrants never yield!"

Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!


 * Chorus

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!


 * Chorus

Chorus (1864 election campaign)
For Lincoln and Johnson, hurrah, boys, hurrah!

Down with the rebellion and on with the war,

While we rally round the cause, boys, we'll rally in our might,

Singing the holy cause of freemen.

In popular culture

 * Ry Cooder performed this song as "Rally 'Round the Flag" on his banjo Eli Boomer's Story album. The song is also performed in the Long Riders (1980), with music produced by Cooder. In the film, former Confederate irregular Clell Miller (played by Randy Quaid) confronts a musician playing this song, and threateningly insists he play "I'm a Good Ole Rebel" instead. (This is probably an anachronism, as the latter song was not copyrighted until 1915, well after the scene in question, presumably in the 1870s.)


 * Eric Taylor has a live recording of this song as "Rally 'Round the Flag" on his Hollywood Pocketknife album in 2007.


 * Keith and Rusty McNeil perform both the "Battle Cry of Freedom" and "Southern Battle Cry of Freedom" on Civil War Songs with Historical Narration (WEM Records, 1989, ISBN 1-878360-11-6).


 * This song features prominently in Ken Burns' documentary The Civil War. This song is performed by Jacqueline Schwab.


 * Joe Hill wrote a song based upon the "Battle Cry of Freedom" with a socialist slant called "There Is Power in a Union", which has been recorded several times, including by Billy Bragg on the Talking with the Taxman about Poetry album. For example the chorus goes:


 * The Union forever defending our rights
 * Down with the blackleg, all workers unite
 * With our brothers and our sisters from many far off lands
 * There is power in a Union


 * Homer and Jethro (Henry Haynes and Ken Burns) had a big hit with a parody called "The Ballad of Roger Miller".


 * Indie rock band Titus Andronicus employ an adaptation of "Battle Cry of Freedom" in "A More Perfect Union", the first song on their Civil War-themed 2010 album The Monitor. The rejigged verses include references to Jefferson Davis, the first and only President of the Confederate States of America, and radical abolitionist John Brown.


 * Film composer John Williams, in his score for the 2012 Steven Spielberg film, Lincoln, used an excerpt from "The Battle Cry of Freedom" in the track "Call to Muster and Battle Cry", with vocals performed by the Chicago Symphony Chorus and music performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


 * Elvis Costello sang and played the last lines of the song in the Two and a Half Men episode, "Back Off, Mary Poppins".