Draft:Free Americay!
1774 folk by Traditional
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Free Americay (also known as "Free America") is an 18th-century American folk song and broadside ballad written during the lead-up to the American Revolutionary War.[1] It is one of the most significant examples of "repurposed" music from the colonial era, turning a British military anthem into a call for American independence.[2]
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| "Free Americay" | |
|---|---|
| folk by Traditional | |
| Language | English |
| Released | c. 1774 |
| Genre | Folk music, Protest song |
| Composer | Traditional (based on "The British Grenadiers") |
| Lyricist | Joseph Warren (attributed) |
History and purpose
The lyrics are widely attributed to Joseph Warren, a physician and major general who was a leading figure in the Sons of Liberty before his death at the Battle of Bunker Hill.[3]
Written around 1774, the song served a dual purpose:
- Recruitment: It was designed to stir the spirits of the Minutemen and colonial militia.
- Psychological warfare: By setting the lyrics to the melody of "The British Grenadiers"—the premier marching tune of the British Army—the colonists were engaging in a form of musical "subversion." It signaled that the Americans were not intimidated by British military prestige.[2]
The song’s narrative moves from the fall of ancient empires to the rise of a new "dominion" of liberty in the West, reflecting the Enlightenment ideals of the time.
Lyrics
Below are the lyrics as traditionally attributed to Warren:[4]
Lift up your hearts, my heroes And swear with proud disdain The wretch that would ensnare you Shall spread his net in vain; Should Europe empty all her force We’d meet them in array And fight and shout and shout and fight For free America
We led fair Freedom hither And lo, the desert smiled A paradise of pleasure Was opened in the wild; Your harvest, bold Americans No power shall snatch away Preserve, preserve, preserve your rights In a Free America
Torn from a world of tyrants Beneath this western sky We formed a new dominion A land of liberty; The world shall own we’re freemen here And such will ever be Huzza, huzza, huzza, huzza For Free America
Some future days shall crown us The masters of the Maine Our fleet shall speak in thunder To England, France, and Spain Nations o'er the ocean's spread Shall tremble and obey The prince who rules by freedom's laws In North America