When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1863)
by Patrick Gilmore (1829-1892)
arr. by Dan Davidson
SATB Recording
Lyrics:
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 the men will cheer, and the boys will shout, 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 the men will cheer, and the boys will shout, when Johnny comes marching home.
In 1861 , hurrah, hurrah!
We sent our war our only son, hurrah, hurrah!
IN 1862 , a bloody battle did ensue
In 1863 , they got besieged in Tennessee
In 1884, the battle came to the Eastern shore
In 1865, we heard our Johnny was still alive
And the men will cheer, and the boys will shout, 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 the men will cheer, and the boys will shout, when Johnny comes marching home.
Patrick Gilmore (1829-1892)
biography
When Johnny Comes Marching Home is a famous American Civil War–era song, closely associated with the Union side, composed in 1883 by Patrick S. Gilmore (pseudonym Louis Lambert). Gilmore, known as the "Father of Concert Band," was an Irish-born bandleader and composer. He led the Salem Brigade Band from 1855-1858 - a prestigious local position that brought him prominence in the region and led the band to high‑profile appearances, such as the 1857 inauguration of President James Buchanan in Washington, D.C. In 1858, Gilmore shifted his focus to Boston, where he led the Boston Brigade Band and later established his own professional ensemble, known as Gilmore’s Band. Gilmore and his band organized huge music concerts such as the 1872 World Peace Jubilee. Throughout his career, Gilmore tranformed traditional military bands into what became the modern concert band by adding woodwinds and expanding the repertoire. His pioneering band work laid the foundation and model for John Philip Sousa (the “March King”) and Sousa’s rise to fame as the nation’s preeminent concert band composer, leader, and recording artist..