Rhetoric of Music

During the Revolutionary War period, pamphlets and speeches weren't the only persuasive tactics used to inspire passion for independence. The art, fashion, and music of the period reflect the issues debated in meeting halls and the experiences of both soldiers fighting in the field and their families supporting the cause from their homes.

You will study five songs from the Revolutionary War period. Linked below you will find a handout with the lyrics for the first four songs. The lyrics for the final song, "Yankee Doodle," have changed so many times over the years that they are linked separately. Below, you will also find links to the tunes of all four songs so you can listen, sing along, and experience some of the sounds of the American Revolution.

Lyrics Handout Text Link

"Free America"

This is like a football team's fight song because of the enthusiasm and passion with which it was sung. The music was from a popular song, "The British Grenadiers," that celebrated British soldiers, but Patriots (those in favor of American independence) wrote new lyrics and sang the song back at the British. Try singing along with the recording, making your voice drown out the British lyrics. It's challenging but fun! Also, make sure you really yell out "huzza" as if you are cheering for your favorite team.

Free America Audio Link Below

"God Save the King"

The music for this song should be familiar, as "God Save the King" would later become both the national anthem of the United Kingdom and the patriotic American song, "My Country 'Tis of Thee." During the American Revolution, though, patriots sang lyrics that made fun of loyalists, those who remained faithful to Britain.

God Save the King Audio Link Below

"Revolutionary Tea"

This song uses an analogy of a mother-daughter relationship to describe the relationship between the American colonies and Britain during the Revolutionary period. You may recognize the references to the Tea Tax, many colonists' refusal to pay the tax, the Boston Tea Party, and the boycotting of tea as an act of war. Download the lyrics and listen to the instrumental audio below.

Revolutionary Tea Lyrics Text Link

Revolutionary Tea Audio Link Below

"Yankee Doodle"

Another song you are likely already familiar with is "Yankee Doodle," which was first sung by the British to make fun of American colonists during the French and Indian War. Though the origin of the word "doodle" is uncertain, it may have come from the German for "fool" or "imbecile." It is certain that a "dandy" was a man of the low or middle classes who considered himself high class and tried to adopt the fashion, speech, and manners of the upper class. For example, he might put a feather in his hat, which was part of high fashion at that time, thinking that looking the part of a noble would make him so. This is what many British must have thought of American colonists. By the time of the revolution, though, patriots had written new lyrics and transformed the song into one of pride!

Yankee Doodle Audio Link Below

Yankee Doodle Lyrics Link

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.