"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (sometimes "When Johnny Comes Marching" or "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again") is a popular traditional song from the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the safe return of their friends and relatives.
It is a favorite standard of The Residents, having been recorded by the group no less than three times throughout their career, including on two of their earliest known demo tapes.
History and composition[]
The lyrics to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" were written by the Irish-American bandleader Patrick Gilmore during the American Civil War. Its first sheet music publication was deposited in the Library of Congress on September 26, 1863, with words and music credited to "Louis Lambert".
Why Gilmore chose to publish under a pseudonym is not clear, but popular composers of the period often employed pseudonyms to add a touch of romantic mystery to their compositions. Gilmore is said to have written the song for his sister Annie as she prayed for the safe return of her partner from the war.
Gilmore later acknowledged that the music was not original but was, as he put it in an 1883 article in the Musical Herald, "a musical waif which I happened to hear somebody humming in the early days of the rebellion, and taking a fancy to it, wrote it down, dressed it up, gave it a name, and rhymed it into usefulness for a special purpose suited to the times."
The Residents versions[]
Instrumental versions of "When Johnny Comes Marching" are heard on both of the two earliest known demo reels by the group who would later become The Residents, The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger and Rusty Coathangers for the Doctor, recorded in 1970.
The version heard on Rusty Coathangers for the Doctor interpolates the riff from The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction", an early example of the approach to composition which would later manifest in the group's 1976 album The Third Reich 'n Roll.
A later version, recorded circa 1977-1978 during the sessions for Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen, was released in 2018 on the pREServed expanded edition of the album. To date, this is the only officially released version of the song by The Residents.
Lyrics[]
Note: None of The Residents' versions of this song feature lyrics.
Original version (1863)[]
When Johnny comes marching home again Hurrah! Hurrah! We'll give him a hearty welcome then Hurrah! Hurrah! The men will cheer and the boys will shout The ladies they will all turn out And we'll all feel gay When Johnny comes marching home.
The old church bell will peal with joy Hurrah! Hurrah! To welcome home our darling boy, Hurrah! Hurrah! The village lads and lassies say With roses they will strew the way, And we'll all feel gay 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 we'll all feel gay When Johnny comes marching home.
Let love and friendship on that day, Hurrah, hurrah! Their choicest pleasures then display, Hurrah, hurrah! And let each one perform some part, To fill with joy the warrior's heart, And we'll all feel gay When Johnny comes marching home.
Releases[]
- Rusty Coathangers for the Doctor (1970, unreleased) [version 1]
- The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger (1970, unreleased) [version 2]
- Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen pREServed edition (2018) [version 3]
Versions[]
- ↑ San Mateo home recording, interpolated with "Satisfaction", 1970
- ↑ San Mateo home recording, 1970
- ↑ Grove Street studio recording, ca. 1977-1978
External links and references[]
|
Rusty Coathangers for the Doctor (1970) Side A |
|
The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger (1970) Side A |
|
Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen (1978) Side A: Duck Stab! |
