Music can bring people together. People listen to and sing music even during tragic times to help them pull through. This is true even during times of war. Patriotic songs can help unite citizens to a cause and help soldiers who are fighting. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is one of the most patriotic songs and it all started with Union soldiers in the Civil War singing at camp.
One hundred years after the Civil War, Johnny Cash sung “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” to honor all Civil War soldiers and their journey home.
“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” was written by Julia Ward Howe, published in 1862, for Union troops. She had visited a Union camp a year prior and heard soldiers singing a popular song of the time, “John Brown’s Body.” This song was influenced by the Methodist hymn “Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us.” She created the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” against the very same tune those soldiers were singing.
Howe explained how the hymn came to her in the middle of the night.
Howe wrote “…as I lay waiting for the dawn, the long lines of the desired poem began to twine themselves in my mind. Having thought out all the stanzas, I said to myself, ‘I must get up and write these verses down, lest I fall asleep again and forget them.’ So, with a sudden effort, I sprang out of bed, and found in the dimness an old stump of a pen which I remembered to have used the day before. I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper.”
“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is beloved by all Americans.
The hymn is sung in church services all across America. Lines of the hymn have appeared in speeches by famous Americans, such as Martin Luther King Jr.. It was sung to honor President John F. Kennedy after his assassination and at Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral. This song has been sung and used to unite American ever since its creation in 1862.
Johnny Cash reflects on the meaning of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” before starting his performance. He states that both sides during the Civil War would sing this song by the end of the war, which proves that music belongs to all of us. He envisions tired soldiers, from both sides, singing this song as they were on their way home from the war.
The United States is, once again, feeling very divided during current times.
It is the perfect time to watch Johnny Cash, an American treasure, remind us that we, as a country, still have more in common than we think, such as love of music. Music is a powerful art form that can bring people together. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” has brought Americans together before and still does. Johnny Cash is a beloved American artist and hearing his voice is like putting on a sweater after being very cold, it is comforting.
As you watch the performance do not miss June Carter Cash, her sisters, and mother helping Johnny Cash with back up vocals.
Watch Johnny Cash’s powerful performance in full, right below.
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