Song 5: Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier

Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier is obviously about a woman's husband leaving her to go off to fight in the American Revolution. This song was written in the late 18th century and goes on to describe her despair, and yet how she tried to help him even though it meant that her lifestyle would suffer in order to buy him a sword. In this story, the story is told by a narrator looking at the situation from outside it. It seems to have been sung soon after these events unfolded, but not during. The song was a little too slow for my taste though the fife and drums provided an interesting background. This song just fortifies a universal thought (therefore including America) that I have had for a while; war not only causesw pain and suffering on the battlefield, but also at home.