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The National Music of America. 253
lines are only repetitions of each other. One of the singers in the Glee Club was an honest Scotchman, named John Brown. Many were the jokes that the soldiers used to play on their good-humoured comrade. Finally a jest was made out of the similarity of the soldier's name to that of John Brown of Ossawatomie, and thus the first verse arose, and the song was entitled the "John Brown Song." The words, as printed in the very first edition of this poem (?), were as follows :
"JOHN BROWN SONG!
" John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, His soul's marching on !
CHORUS.
« Glory Hally, Hallelujah ! Glory Hally, Hallelujah ! Glory Hally, Hallelujah! His soul's marching on ! |
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