Category Archives: Music

Jine the Cavalry

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The Civil War Song: Jine the Cavalry

J. E. B. Stuart’s Cavalry Adventures

J. E. B. Stuart

J. E. B. Stuart

The Civil War song: Jine the Cavalry, is a popular Civil War song about James Ewell Brown Stuart’s cavalry adventures.

The song includes verses about events such as the ride around the Army of the Potomac, and the Gettysburg Campaign. This song was the unofficial theme of James Ewell Brown Stuart’s cavalry corps and supposedly was a favorite of Stuart’s.

Do you want to catch the Devil?

Do you want to have fun?

Do you want to smell hell?

Bully boys, hey! Bully boys, ho!

JINE THE CAVALRY!

Here’s one for all you rebels out there.

Jine the Cavalry

From the 2nd South Carolina String Band’s Hard Road album.

CHORUS: If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,
If you want to smell Hell, jine the cavalry!

We’re the boys who went around McClellian,
Went around McClellian, went around McClellian!
We’re the boys who went around McClellian,
Bully boys, hey! Bully boys, ho!

CHORUS: If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,
If you want to smell Hell, jine the cavalry!

We’re the boys who crossed the Potomicum,
Crossed the Potomicum, crossed the Potomicum!
We’re the boys who crossed the Potomicum,
Bully boys, hey! Bully boys, ho!

CHORUS:
If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,
If you want to smell Hell, jine the cavalry!

Then we went into Pennsylvania,
Into Pennsylvania, into Pennsylvania!
Then we went into Pennsylvania,
Bully boys, hey! Bully boys, ho!

CHORUS:
If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,
If you want to smell Hell, jine the cavalry!

The big fat Dutch gals hand around the breadium,
Hand around the breadium, hand around the breadium!
The big fat Dutch gals hand around the breadium,
Bully boys, hey! Bully boys, ho!

CHORUS:
If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,
If you want to smell Hell, jine the cavalry!

Ol’ Joe Hooker, won’t you come out of The Wilderness?
Come out of The Wilderness, come out of The Wilderness?
Ol’ Joe Hooker, won’t you come out of The Wilderness?
Bully boys, hey! Bully boys, ho!

CHORUS:
If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,
If you want to smell Hell, jine the cavalry!

Ashokan Farewell

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Chances are, you first heard Ashokan Farewell during The Civil War eleven-hour 1990 miniseries on PBS.

The Ashokan Farewell music served as the theme for The Civil War by Ken Burns. It is hauntingly unforgettable. The song is heard 25 times during the miniseries and is the background music for the reading of the Sullivan Ballou letter. Ashokan Farewell was a perfect match for the story and scenes of The Civil War miniseries.

With music, Ashokan Farewell puts the sadness of the Civil War into our hearts, in a way all today can understand and feel.

Contrary to common thought, Ashokan Farewell is not music from the Civil War era. Instead, it is from our modern times and is the only music in The Civil War miniseries not from the 19th century. Its name comes from a village in the New York Catskill Region, named Ashokan. The Ashokan Reservoir now covers most of this village.

Jay Ungar composed Ashokan Farewell in 1982. It features a solo violin at the beginning, and later a guitar accompanies. Ungar wrote Ashokan Farewell in the style of a Scottish lament.

Folk Alley Sessions: Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Family Band, “Ashokan Farewell”