about
This traditional Confederate Civil War song from southern Appalachia is sung from the perspective of a defiant but seemingly sadly introspective southern soldier pining for his family and sweetheart, Polly.
The graphic nature of the violence of the time and the soldier’s surrender to his fate ‘If the Yankees don’t kill me I’ll live until I die’ paint a picture of a harsh conflict and a young man and his family who represent just a small fraction of those who suffered so grievously during those years of war.
lyrics
Polly oh Polly, It's for your sake alone,
I've left my old father, My country and my home,
I've left my old mother, To weep and to mourn
I am a rebel soldier
And far from my home.
It's grape shot and musket, And the cannons lumber loud,
There's many a mangled body, The blanket for their shroud,
There's many a mangled body, Left on the fields alone
I am a rebel soldier
And far from my home.
I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I am dry,
If the Yankees don’t kill me, I'll live until I die,
If the Yankees don’t kill me, And cause me to mourn,
I am a rebel soldier
And far from my home.
Here's a good old cup of brandy, And a glass of nice wine,
You can drink to your true love, And I will drink to mine,
And you can drink to your true love, And I'll lament and mourn,
I am a rebel soldier
And far from my home.
I'll build me a castle, On some green mountain high,
Where I can see Polly, As she is passing by,
Where I can see Polly, And help her to mourn,
I am a rebel soldier
And far from my home.
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