by jay janson
Offering here a new Battle Hymn of the Republic for Occupy Wall St. use.
To be sung to the marching tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, which some years earlier carried anti-slavery lyrics that began: “John Brown’s Bo-dy Lies-a Molding in the grave”The song was originally a campfire spiritual about brotherhood.
If someone cannot recall how the melody goes, and is unfamiliar with do re mi fa sol la si representing the seven steps of the scale, he or she may click on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSEI1DS0Wyc&feature=related or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBKqKY1eAdY&feature=related or
perhaps the best for clarity is the simple “John Brown’s body” version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGPN2x0ChnY
There is, unfortunately no recording or text of the Brotherhood Spiritual.
note:
2 beatsYou stole-our me-di-a and-our gov__ov-er_ment
sol sol-fa mi-mi-sol do-re mi……………. do
1 & 1/2 beat
And we’ll take-them back from you!
do re re-re do si do
We will get free from you!
do re re do si do
We’ll see you be hind bars!
do re re do si doYou will be pro se cut-ed!
do re re do si do-do!
Stop Wall Street Crimes Right Now!
do re re do si do
Stop Wall Street War Crimes Now!
do re re do si do!
Make up your own last refrain for each particular Occupy action event.
After the last line of the hymn a leader could sing a new refrain solo to be answered by the multitude (call and response) on the next repeat as a cadence of affirmation and resolve.
Good luck, happy singing together! It was enjoyable to put this together.
jay janson
* Footnote
The tune was written around 1856 by William Steffe. The first known lyrics were titled “Brothers, Will You Meet Me?” and the song was sung as a campfire spiritual. Nice origin – too bad we don’t have the tune’s original words.
Next, this popular tune had abolitionist lyrics set to it by Thomas Bishop, a volunteer of the Massachusetts Militia on the eve of the Civil War. The song became one of his unit’s walking songs, inspiring freedom for slaves.
John Brown’s body lies a-mold’ring in the grave
John Brown’s body lies a-mold’ring in the grave
John Brown’s body lies a-mold’ring in the grave
His soul goes marching on
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
His soul is marching on
He captured Harper’s Ferry with his nineteen men so true
He frightened old Virginia till she trembled
through and through
They hung him for a traitor, themselves the traitor crew
His soul is marching on
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
His soul is marching on
John Brown died that the slave might be free,
John Brown died that the slave might be free,
John Brown died that the slave might be free,
But his soul is marching on!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
His soul is marching on
The stars above in Heaven are looking kindly down
The stars above in Heaven are looking kindly down
The stars above in Heaven are looking kindly down
On the grave of old John Brown
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!
His soul is marching on
The song was heard sung by troops during the civil war and Mrs. Julia Ward Howe set the melody to lyrics glorifying war in God’s name, titling it The Battle Hymn of the Republic. (Your musician author imagines that the composer and author of the song’s first lyrics about brotherhood must have felt disappointed to see it turned into a hymn hailing war, war with God leading the way no less.)
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His day is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.”
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Since God is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
jay janson, 80, is an archival research peoples historian activist, musician and writer, who has lived and worked on all the continents and whose articles on media have been published in China, Italy, England, India and the US, and now resides in New York City. Howard Zinn lent his name to various projects of his. GlobalResearch, InformationClearingHouse, CounterCurrents, DissidentVoice, OpEdNews, HistoryNewsNetwork, are among those who have published his articles. http://www.opednews.com/author/author1723.html
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.
The tune, or its melody, became very popular and has since been used freely for lyrics of official university songs, football team songs among many other uses in the US and abroad, especially for its religious and fighting encouraging spirit.
How wonderful if the song could become used in the Occupy Wall Street movement for justice, restoring the melody to express a brotherhood theme and the fine, pure and lovely intention of its composer, Bill Steffe in 1856.
