MUSIC AND CONFLICT:
FROM PATRIOTISM TO PROTEST
World War I (1917-1918 U.S. Involvement)
The Facts
Important Dates:
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April 6, 1917: The The United States declared war on Germany
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Approximately 4,734,991 U.S. troops were engaged in World War I
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over 500,000 troops were African American.
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with the armed forces segregated, the civil rights movement in the United states grew as African-American men were drafted and fought for their country as did white troops
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America suffered approximately 53,402 casualties
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Trench warfare played a huge role in the war with both sides digging large trenches in the ground and fought to hold their ground
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Submarine warfare peaked during this time
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1919: The Treat of Versailles was signed after the surrender of the Central Powers to the Allied Forces
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Germany was ordered to:
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pay restitution
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acknowledge guilt for the war
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reduce its armed forces
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return captured territory in France, Poland, Belgium, and Denmark
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Quotes or Battle Cries:
"The world must be made safe for democracy." - President Woodrow Wilson
"Nothing will bring American sympathy along with us so much as American blood shed in the field." - Winston Churchill
"Gott strafe England" (May God punish England) - Slogan of the German Army, attributed to Ernst Lissauer
Where in the world . . .
Click the map icon to find out more about where this war took place and the nature of the battlefields.
Coming Together:
Click on each icon in the picture below to find out how music and war came together.
Songs and Lyrics of the War
Over There
byGeorge M. Cohan
This catchy tune written by George M. Cohan in 1917 was meant to rally U.S. support for joining the war. The lyrics of the chorus are meant to rally the troops and outline the United States as the power needed to end the war:
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there -
That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming
Everywhere.
So prepare, say a prayer,
Send the word, send the word to beware.
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over
Over there.
Don't Take My Darling Boy Away
by Will Dillon)
This haunting songs describes a mother's anguish as the draft board comes to take her only living son to fight in the war. It reflects the uncertainty the American public had about joinging the war, up until the sinking of the Lusitania in which the general public support the war effort. Two of the most poignant verses of the song are shown below:
Don't take my darling boy away from me,
Don't send him off to war
You took his father and brothers three,
Now you've come back for more
Who are the heroes that fight your war
Mothers who have no say
But my duty's done so for god's sake leave one!
And don't take my darling boy away.
Many of the songs of World War I were patriotic in nature to rally the troops and find support for instituting the draft and sending our troops "over there" to Europe to fight. However, prior to the United States entering World War I in 1917, the people of the United States were hesitant to support the war. This led to songs such as "Don't Take My Darling Boy Away" with lyrics lamenting a mother's anguish at losing her husband and sons already to war and only having one "darling boy" left.