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Dixie

by Daniel Decatur Emmett
[originally known as "I Wish I Was in Dixie Land" (1859); also called "Dixie's Land" and coextensive with dozens of variants]


    I wish I was in land ob cotton,
    Old times dar am not forgotten,
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.
    In Dixie Land whar' I was born in,
    Early on one frosty mornin',
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.

      Den I wish I was in Dixie, Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
      In Dixie land, I'll take my stand to lib and die in Dixie;
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie,
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie.

    Old Missus marry Will-de-weaber,
    Willium was a gay deceaber;
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.
    But when he put his arms around 'er
    He smiled as fierce as a forty-pounder,
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.

      Den I wish I was in Dixie, Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
      In Dixie land, I'll take my stand to lib and die in Dixie;
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie,
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie.

    His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaber,
    But dat did not seem to greab 'er;
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.
    Old Missus acted the foolish part,
    And died for a man dat broke her heart,
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.

      Den I wish I was in Dixie, Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
      In Dixie land, I'll take my stand to lib and die in Dixie;
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie,
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie.

    Now here's a health to the next old Missus,
    And all the gals dat want to kiss us;
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.
    But if you want to drive 'way sorrow,
    Come and hear dis song to-morrow,
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.

      Den I wish I was in Dixie, Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
      In Dixie land, I'll take my stand to lib and die in Dixie;
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie,
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie.

    Dar's buckwheat cakes an' Injun batter,
    Makes you fat or a little fatter;
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.
    Den hoe it down and scratch your grabble,
    To Dixie's land I'm bound to trabble,
    Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.

      Den I wish I was in Dixie, Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
      In Dixie land, I'll take my stand to lib and die in Dixie;
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie,
      Away, away, away down south in Dixie.





The War Song of Dixie

by Henry Throop Stanton
[these Confederate lyrics were published in 1861; also known as "Dixie War Song"]


    Hear ye not the sounds of battle,
    Sabres' clash and muskets' rattle?
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!
    Hostile footsteps on our border,
    Hostile columns tread in order;
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!

      Oh, fly to arms in Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      From Dixie's land we'll rout the land,
      That comes to conquer Dixie,
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!

    See the red smoke hanging o'er us!
    Hear the cannon's booming chorus!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!
    See our steady columns forming,
    Hear the shouting! Hear the storming!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!

      Oh, fly to arms in Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      From Dixie's land we'll rout the land,
      That comes to conquer Dixie,
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!

    Gird your loins with sword and sabre,
    Give your lives to Freedom's labor!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!
    What though every hearth be saddened?
    What though all the land be reddened?
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!

      Oh, fly to arms in Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      From Dixie's land we'll rout the land,
      That comes to conquer Dixie,
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!

    Shall this boasting, mad invader
    Trample Dixie and degrade her?
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!
    By our fathers proud example!
    Southern soil they shall not trample!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!

      Oh, fly to arms in Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      From Dixie's land we'll rout the land,
      That comes to conquer Dixie,
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!

    Southrons, meet them on the border!
    Charge them into wild disorder!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!
    Hew the Vandals down before you!
    Till the last inch they restore you!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!

      Oh, fly to arms in Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      From Dixie's land we'll rout the land,
      That comes to conquer Dixie,
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!

    Through the echoing hills resounding,
    Hear the Southern bugles sounding!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!
    Arouse from every hill and valley,
    List the bugle! Rally! Rally!
    To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!

      Oh, fly to arms in Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      From Dixie's land we'll rout the land,
      That comes to conquer Dixie,
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And rout the foe from Dixie!





Everybody's Dixie

by Albert Pike
[composed in 1862 by a notable poet and lawyer who recruited members of the Five Nations in Indian Territory into the Confederacy, then led them into battle as brigadier]


    Southrons, hear your country call you,
    Up, lest worse than death befall you!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    Lo! All the beacon-fires are lighted,
    Let all hearts be now united!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!

    Hear the Northern thunders mutter!
    Northern flags in South winds flutter!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    Send them back your fierce defiance!
    Stamp upon the cursed alliance!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!

    Fear no danger! Shun no labor!
    Lift up rifle, pike, and sabre!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    Shoulder pressing close to shoulder,
    Let the odds make each heart bolder!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!

    How the South's great heart rejoices
    At your cannon's ringing voices!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    For faith betrayed and pledges broken,
    Wrongs inflicted, insults spoken,
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!

    Strong as lions, swift as eagles,
    Back to their kennels hunt these beagles!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    Cut the unequal bonds asunder!
    Let them hence each other plunder!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!

    Swear upon your country's altar
    Never to submit or falter
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    Till the spoilers are defeated,
    Till the Lord's work is completed!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!

    Halt not till our Federation
    Secures among earth's powers its station!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    Then at peace and crowned with glory,
    Hear your children tell the story!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!

    If the loved ones weep in sadness,
    Victory soon shall bring them gladness
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!
    Exultant pride soon vanish sorrow;
    Smiles chase tears away to-morrow!
    To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!

      Advance the flag of Dixie!
      Hurrah! Hurrah!
      In Dixie's land we take our stand,
      And live or die for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!
      To arms! To arms!
      And conquer peace for Dixie!





Away Down South in the Land of Traitors

[this anonymous riposte was one of the many unsuccessful attempts to usurp the primacy of "Dixie", as advocated by northern editors, such as the New York Commercial Advertiser, which invited readers: "Won't someone set it [that magical music] to words of Union sentiment?"; also known as "Union Dixie"]


    Away down South in the land of traitors,
    Rattlesnakes and alligators,
    Right away, come away, right away, come away.
    Where cotton's king and men are chattels,
    Union boys will win the battles,
    Right away, come away, right away, come away.

    Then we'll all go down to Dixie,
    Away, away,
    Each Dixie boy must understand,
    That he must mind his Uncle Sam,
    Away, away,
    And we'll all go down to Dixie.
    Away, away,
    And we'll all go down to Dixie.

    I wish I was in Baltimore,
    I'd make Secession traitors roar,
    Right away, come away, right away, come away.
    We'll put the traitors all to rout,
    I'll bet my boots we'll whip them out,
    Right away, come away, right away, come away.

    Then they'll wish they were in Dixie,
    Away, away,
    Each Dixie boy must understand,
    That he must mind his Uncle Sam,
    Away, away,
    And we'll all go down to Dixie.
    Away, away,
    And we'll all go down to Dixie.

    Oh, may our Stars and Stripes still wave
    Forever o'er the free and brave,
    Right away, come away, right away, come away.
    And let our motto ever be —
    "For Union and for Liberty!"
    Right away, come away, right away, come away.

    Then we'll all go down to Dixie,
    Away, away,
    Each Dixie boy must understand,
    That he must mind his Uncle Sam,
    Away, away,
    And we'll all go down to Dixie.
    Away, away,
    And we'll all go down to Dixie.





Dixie Doodle

by Margaret Weir
[published in 1862 by Werlein & Halsey in New Orleans, this parody of "Yankee Doodle" was popular among Southerners during the American Civil War; the sheet music bore a dedication to "our dear Soldiers on the Battle Field"]


    Dixie whipped old Yankee Doodle
    Early in the morning,
    So Yankeedom had best look out,
    And take a timely warning.

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!

    Yankee Doodles soundly slept
    Upon their greasy pillows,
    While Dixie boys, with muffled oars,
    Were gliding o'er the billows.

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!

    Yankee Doodles, grease your heels,
    Make ready to be running,
    For Dixie boys are near at hand,
    Surpassing you in cunning.

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!

    Anderson, the gallant brave,
    Who broke upon their slumbers,
    E'en little girls and boys shall sing
    Your name in tuneful numbers.

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!

    A thousand blessings on your heads,
    Our brave, unflinching leaders,
    A light you are upon the path
    Of all our brave seceders.

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!

    Wright, on Carolina's coast,
    Was e'er a hero bolder?
    He seized a Yankee foe, and made
    A breastwork of the soldier.

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!

    Louisiana, bold and brave,
    Renowned for Creole beauty,
    Your champions will bear in mind
    The watchword, grace and booty!

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!

    Yankee Doodle, fair thee well,
    Ere long you'll be forgotten,
    While Dixie's notes shall gaily float
    Throughout the land of cotton.

      Hurrah! For our Dixie Land!
      Hurrah! For our borders!
      Southern boys to arms will stand,
      And whip the dark marauders!





I Wanna Go Back To Dixie

by Tom Lehrer


    I wanna go back to Dixie,
    Take me back to dear ol' Dixie,
    That's the only li'l ol' place for li'l ol' me.
    Ol' times there are not forgotten,
    Whuppin' slaves and sellin' cotton,
    And waitin' for the Robert E. Lee.
    (It was never there on time.)
    I'll go back to the Swanee,
    Where pellagra makes you scrawny,
    And the Honeysuckle clutters up the vine
    I really am a-fixin'
    To go home and start a-mixin'
    Down below that Mason-Dixon line.

    Oh, poll tax, how I love ya, how I love ya,
    My dear old poll tax.

    Won'tcha come with me to Alabammy,
    Back to the arms of my dear ol' Mammy,
    Her cookin's lousy and her hands are clammy,
    But what the hell, it's home.
    Yes, for paradise the Southland is my nominee.
    Jes' give me a ham hock and a grit of hominy.

    I wanna go back to Dixie
    I wanna be a dixie pixie
    And eat cornpone 'til it's comin' outta my ears
    I wanna talk with Southern gentlemen
    And put my white sheet on again,
    I ain't seen one good lynchin' in years.
    The land of the boll weevil,
    Where the laws are medieval,
    Is callin' me to come and nevermore roam.
    I wanna go back to the Southland,
    That "y'all" and "shet-ma-mouth" land,
    Be it ever so decadent,
    There's no place like home.





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