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It's Time for Every Boy to Be a Soldier

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https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/924a50e0-ef2e-0135-4ad8-0050569601ca-7
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Descriptive Information

Title
It's Time for Every Boy to Be a Soldier
Composer
Tierney, Harry  
Lyricist
Bryan, Alfred  
Publisher
Jerome H. Remick and Co.  
Place of Publication
New York (N.Y.)  
Year of Publication
1917  
Date of Copyright
1917-05-16
Physical Description
1 score, voice and piano ([1], [2]-[3], [1] p.)
Comment
Alfred Bryan's lyrics are in part a late rebuttal to the text he himself had penned for the 1915 neutrality hit "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier”; Tierney's upbeat, straightforward music similarly repudiates the sentimental style of Piantadosi's earlier ballad. Their song never quite attained the success that attended an earlier, rival rebuttal, "America, Here's My Boy"; but since it appeared just a month after the United States had declared war, it also functioned very successfully as a recruiting song, remaining steadily popular through the war years and beyond.
Historical Note
  • The artist, LPN, has not yet been identified. The cover gives Lincoln and Wilson equal prominence, but the lyrics conclude with a slightly modified quotation from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, whereas Wilson is neither mentioned nor quoted.
  • Like Andrew Sterling's earlier "America, Here's My Boy," Bryan's lyrics for the refrain closely parallel those of "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier": the structure and rhyme scheme is the same, the first and third lines closely paraphrase the earlier song, and the break in the penultimate line recalls the earlier internal rhyme. However, unlike Sterling, Bryan made no attempt to preserve either the structure of the verse nor the difference between narrative and voice that characterised the original.
  • This is the first variant of the first printing. All the printings are distinguished by the lists of titles on the back covers; in addition, the fourth includes photographs in the cover insets, rather than the drawings used in previous printings. Variants within a printing are distinguished by the music advertised on the back covers and and ordered by the associated copyright dates. This printing was deposited for copyright on May 15, 1917.
Musical Note
This lively, largely conventional march song contains faint hints of a ballad: the breaks in the penultimate line and the optional high notes at the end. The verse quotes "Yankee Doodle" in the penultimate line of music, confirming the quotation in the lyrics of the second verse.
Dedication
Dedication
Subject - Topic
  • World War, 1914-1918  
  • Songs and music  
  • Popular music  
  • Patriotic music  
  • Soldiers  
  • Songs and music  
  • Recruiting and enlistment  
  • Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924  
  • Pictorial works  
  • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865  
  • Pictorial works  
  • United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.)  
  • Marches (Voice with piano)  
Subject - Geographic
United States  
Subject - Temporal
1911-1920  
Lyrics
  • [Verse 1] Most ev'ry fellow has a sweetheart / Some little girl with eyes of blue / My daddy also had a sweetheart / And he fought to win her too / There'll come a day when we must pay the price of love and duty / Be there staunch and true
  • [refrain 1] It's time for ev'ry boy to be a soldier / To put his strength and courage to the test / It's time to place a musket on his shoulder / And wrap the Stars and Stripes around his breast / It's time to shout those noble words of Lincoln / And stand up for the land that gave you birth / "That the nation of the people by the people for the people / Shall not perish from the earth"
  • [verse 2] Boys of America get ready / Your motherland is calling you / Boys of America be steady / For the Old Red White and Blue / When Yankee Doodle comes to town upon his little pony / Be there staunch and true
  • [refrain 2]
Musical Genre
March song
Repository
Newberry Library
Rights
NoC-US
Rights Description
The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
Artist
LPN  
Cover Description
Abstractly drawn soldier standing at rest, holding a rifle, flanked by inset drawings of Lincoln, left, and Wilson, right; behind is a stylised image of the United States Capitol building, trees behind, cavalry in silhouette passing in front. Brown and red on white; signed BR.
Back Cover Description
Text and sample: Where the Black-Eyes Susans Grow (© 1917 02 07); sample cover above, in art deco frame with vines; two bordering lists below ("New Song Hits", top title: Where the Black-Eyes Susans Grow; “New Instrumental Hits", top title: Sans Toi Waltzes); most recent title listed: Sans Toi Waltzes (© 1917 03 14).
Interior Description
  • Plate number, p. [2], BL: 392-2
  • Plate number, p. [3], BL: It’s time etc. 2
Performance Medium
Voice and piano.  
Original Location
Box 165
Local Identifier
ndi165_135
Collection Title
James Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music
Collection
World War I Sheet Music from the James Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music
TitleIt's Time for Every Boy to Be a Soldier
ComposerTierney, Harry  
LyricistBryan, Alfred  
PublisherJerome H. Remick and Co.  
Place of PublicationNew York (N.Y.)  
Year of Publication1917  
Date of Copyright1917-05-16
Physical Description1 score, voice and piano ([1], [2]-[3], [1] p.)
CommentAlfred Bryan's lyrics are in part a late rebuttal to the text he himself had penned for the 1915 neutrality hit "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier”; Tierney's upbeat, straightforward music similarly repudiates the sentimental style of Piantadosi's earlier ballad. Their song never quite attained the success that attended an earlier, rival rebuttal, "America, Here's My Boy"; but since it appeared just a month after the United States had declared war, it also functioned very successfully as a recruiting song, remaining steadily popular through the war years and beyond.
Historical Note
  • The artist, LPN, has not yet been identified. The cover gives Lincoln and Wilson equal prominence, but the lyrics conclude with a slightly modified quotation from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, whereas Wilson is neither mentioned nor quoted.
  • Like Andrew Sterling's earlier "America, Here's My Boy," Bryan's lyrics for the refrain closely parallel those of "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier": the structure and rhyme scheme is the same, the first and third lines closely paraphrase the earlier song, and the break in the penultimate line recalls the earlier internal rhyme. However, unlike Sterling, Bryan made no attempt to preserve either the structure of the verse nor the difference between narrative and voice that characterised the original.
  • This is the first variant of the first printing. All the printings are distinguished by the lists of titles on the back covers; in addition, the fourth includes photographs in the cover insets, rather than the drawings used in previous printings. Variants within a printing are distinguished by the music advertised on the back covers and and ordered by the associated copyright dates. This printing was deposited for copyright on May 15, 1917.
Musical NoteThis lively, largely conventional march song contains faint hints of a ballad: the breaks in the penultimate line and the optional high notes at the end. The verse quotes "Yankee Doodle" in the penultimate line of music, confirming the quotation in the lyrics of the second verse.
DedicationDedication
Subject - Topic
  • World War, 1914-1918  
  • Songs and music  
  • Popular music  
  • Patriotic music  
  • Soldiers  
  • Songs and music  
  • Recruiting and enlistment  
  • Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924  
  • Pictorial works  
  • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865  
  • Pictorial works  
  • United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.)  
  • Marches (Voice with piano)  
Subject - GeographicUnited States  
Subject - Temporal1911-1920  
Lyrics
  • [Verse 1] Most ev'ry fellow has a sweetheart / Some little girl with eyes of blue / My daddy also had a sweetheart / And he fought to win her too / There'll come a day when we must pay the price of love and duty / Be there staunch and true
  • [refrain 1] It's time for ev'ry boy to be a soldier / To put his strength and courage to the test / It's time to place a musket on his shoulder / And wrap the Stars and Stripes around his breast / It's time to shout those noble words of Lincoln / And stand up for the land that gave you birth / "That the nation of the people by the people for the people / Shall not perish from the earth"
  • [verse 2] Boys of America get ready / Your motherland is calling you / Boys of America be steady / For the Old Red White and Blue / When Yankee Doodle comes to town upon his little pony / Be there staunch and true
  • [refrain 2]
Musical GenreMarch song
RepositoryNewberry Library
RightsNoC-US
Rights DescriptionThe organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
ArtistLPN  
Cover DescriptionAbstractly drawn soldier standing at rest, holding a rifle, flanked by inset drawings of Lincoln, left, and Wilson, right; behind is a stylised image of the United States Capitol building, trees behind, cavalry in silhouette passing in front. Brown and red on white; signed BR.
Back Cover DescriptionText and sample: Where the Black-Eyes Susans Grow (© 1917 02 07); sample cover above, in art deco frame with vines; two bordering lists below ("New Song Hits", top title: Where the Black-Eyes Susans Grow; “New Instrumental Hits", top title: Sans Toi Waltzes); most recent title listed: Sans Toi Waltzes (© 1917 03 14).
Interior Description
  • Plate number, p. [2], BL: 392-2
  • Plate number, p. [3], BL: It’s time etc. 2
Performance MediumVoice and piano.  
Original LocationBox 165
Local Identifierndi165_135
Collection TitleJames Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music
CollectionWorld War I Sheet Music from the James Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music

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