| Title | Ain't you glad? |
| Composer | - Polk, Harry E.
- Wright, Jo
|
| Lyricist | Polk, Harry E. |
| Publisher | Harrisonville, MO : Polk and Wolfe |
| Year of Publication | 1919 |
| Date of Copyright | No copyright registered |
| Physical Description | 1 score, voice and piano ([1], 2-3, [1] p.) |
| Comment | A self-published, exuberant response by a recently discharged band leader, this song was not copyrighted and was apparently never marketed, except possibly locally. |
| Historical Note | - “Wolfe,” the co-publisher, may have been William Francis Wolfe, who moved to Harrisonville in 1919 from nearby Clinton, where he had run a dry-goods store. But “Wolfe” may also have been Floyd E. Wolfe, a college friend of Harry Polk who joined Polk in North Dakota for a college reunion after being discharged from service at Camp Grant, IN.
- Jo Wright, credited as the arranger, has not been identified but possibly may have been associated with the Camp Dodge band in some way.
- Harry E. Polk was a superintendent of schools in Willow City, ND, when he was inducted into the army on June 24, 1918. He served at Camp Dodge, IA, as director of the First Battalion band until his discharge on December 7, 1918. In January and February 1919, even after being discharged, the band toured the midwest under his direction. During the tour he also sang and recited a poem, which was probably the text to “Ain’t You Glad”. This was published on March 3 in the Junction City (KS) Daily Union; all the lyric verses are present in the publication, but there is no refrain. He probably went to his parents’ home in Harrisonville after the tour ended, and by May 29 he had returned to North Dakota to attend a college reunion. Hence the song was probably written and published between mid-March and late May, 1919, although it is possible that it dates from later that year, after Polk had reconnected with his friend Floyd E. Wolfe. Polk later became a newspaper publisher, and it is likely that he already had a good knowledge of printing and printers.
- This was the only printing, and no piano rolls or recordings have been found, nor any performances or advertisements.
|
| Musical Note | A march song in duple meter, with some typical characteristics (chromatic inflections, a walking bass), the change of tempo at the refrain (“much slower”) and the colloquial text makes this something of a novelty or even a march ballad. The tune is engaging and the accompaniment skilled, but there are odd errors in the notation, especially of rhythm. |
| Subject - Topic | - World War, 1914-1918 -- Songs and music
- Popular music -- United States -- 1911-1920.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Armistices -- Songs and music.
- Veterans -- United States -- Songs and music.
- Peace -- Songs and music.
- Happiness -- Songs and music.
|
| Lyrics | - [verse 1] Ain’t you glad the war is over, Ain’t you glad the victry’s won, / Glad the Allies drove forever Back the brutal, hellish Hun? / Ain’t you glad you helped the Red Cross, Glad you bought a bond or two, / Glad the service flag of slackers Never had a star for you?
- [refrain 1] Ain’t you glad, ain’t you glad, Ain’t you glad for Uncle Sam, / Ain’t you glad, ain’t you glad? glad I’ll say I am. / Glad for the mothers and home folks so true, / Glad for the soldiers and sailors, too. / Ain’t you glad the boys are home from the war across the foam? / Ev’rybody say it, Ain’t you glad?
- [verse 2] Ain’t you glad that you are living In an age that’ll have name, Glad the golden stars of glory Will shine on in endless fame? / Ain’t you glad that you’re a Yankee, Glad you’re owned by Uncle Sam, / Where no one bows to kings or kaisers, And we live for God and man.
- [refrain 2]
|
| Musical Genre | March song |
| Repository | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sousa Archives and Center for American Music |
| Rights | No Copyright - United States |
| Cover Description | - Uncle Sam in center with arms around a sailor (left) and a soldier (right), both carrying rifles; the whole in front of a U. S. shield (or flag hanging vertically). Black, red and blue on white; unsigned.
- BR: Arranged by Jo Wright
|
| Back Cover Description | Blank. |
| Interior Description | - p. [2], TR: Arranged by Jo Wright
- Plate number: p. 3, BL: Ain’t You Glad 2
|
| Performance Medium | Voice and piano |
| Original Location | - Record Series 12/9/96
- Series 2, Box 12, Folder 5
|
| Local Identifier | 2014_12996_052 |
| Collection Title | James Edward Myers Sheet Music Collection, 1836-1986 |
| Collection | James Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection |
