ReSounding the Archives

I’m Raising My Boy to Be A Soldier To Fight for the USA

A clear movement from peace to a strong engagement in war can be seen documented through lyrical means in World War I sheet music. Ordinary citizens were overwhelmingly yearning for peace in 1914 as evidenced by the popularity of sheet music with titles such as “We Stand for Peace while others War,” by W.R. Williams and “Don’t Take My Darling Boy Away” by Will Dillon. By 1915, peace transitioned to hopes for neutrality, as evidenced by sheet music with titles such as “The Neutrality March” by Bernard Mike, which displays an idealization of neutrality through the lyrics, “if they want to fight, all right, but Neutral is my middle name.” But, by 1916, we begin to see American acceptance and even support for entry into the effort, and sheet music responded accordingly to this shift in public opinion. The song, “I’m raising my boy to be a soldier, to fight for the U.S.A.” encapsulated this trend with lyrics such as “I’m raising my boy to be a soldier to fight… he is growing every day.”

In 1917, America’s involvement in the war began, and, we again see this reflected in songs and lyrics produced in that year. “I’d be Proud to be the Mother of a Soldier” by Charles Bayha, was a clear example of this (“If they trampled on Old Glory, I’d be proud to be the mother of a soldier..”), as well as “Loyalty is the word today, Loyalty to the U.S.A” by Dee Dooling Cabell. The lyrics to this song included: “North, South, East and West, your country calls you. To swear you’ll be true to the Red, White and Blue. United we stand, divided, we fall…a true united nation, proud American.” Moreover, the song “I’m Raising my Boy to be a Soldier, to Fight for the U.S.A” included these lyrics: “I’m raising my boy to be a soldier…he is growing every day…. Tenting tonight, preparing to fight, they’ll be off at the break of day.” The way these songs were utilized as propaganda was to both call upon the idea of loyalty to America, as well as shaming those who wished to not partake in the defense of America. This is encapsulated within the song “What kind of American are you?” which included lyrics such as: “If you’re true blue, it’s up to you to show just where you stand….What kind of an American are you? It’s time to show what you intend to do….. Will you stand behind your land and fight with all your might?” The lyrics continue on: “If the Star Spangled Banner doesn’t make you stand and cheer, then what are you doing over here?”

Interestingly, towards the conclusion of the war, we are regaled with heart-wrenching pleas for family member to return safely, and again the music industry responds with an outpouring of sentimental songs such as “After the War is Over” by Harry Andrieu that discusses the lasting devastating effects of war on soldiers and families in America. My research suggests that there is a clear evolution of views reflected through lyrics and song titles that encapsulate the experience of the average American who lived during World War I.

Related Resources

"The Kensingtons at Laventie". Imperial War Museum. 2015.

"Songs the Soldiers and Sailors Sing!: A Collection of Favorite Songs As Sung by the Soldiers and Sailors - 'Over Here' and 'Over There,' Including Complete Choruses (Words and Music) of 36 of the Most Popular and Most Sung 'Newer' Songs." New York: Leo Feist, 1918.

Mullen, John. 'The Show Must Go On' : Popular Song in Britain during the First World War. Farnham: Ashgate, 2015.

Paas, John Roger. America Sings of War: American Sheet Music from World War I. Wiesbaden, Germany: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2014.

Parker, Bernard S. World War I Sheet Music: 9,670 Patriotic Songs Published in the United States, 1914–1920, with More Than 600 Covers Illustrated. Jefferson: McFarland, 2007.

Wilson, H.W., and J.A. Hammerton. The Influence of the War on art, in The Great War. London, 1919.

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Brianna Renette Benjamin is a fourth-year Biology major and Student Researcher at the University of Virginia. Her research investigates radical changes in politics during World War I as expressed through the medium of music. The music she researches demonstrates a gradual shift from American desires for peace and neutrality to war between 1914-1918.