We Are Coming, Father Abra'am
"We Are Coming, Father Abra'am" | |
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Song | |
Published | 1862 |
Genre | Wartime song |
Composer(s) | Various |
Lyricist(s) | James S. Gibbons |
Audio | |
United States Marine Band performance (2009) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/We_Are_Coming%2C_Father_Abra%27am_%28L.O._Emerson%29.png/195px-We_Are_Coming%2C_Father_Abra%27am_%28L.O._Emerson%29.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/SheetMusicWeAreComingFatherAbraam1862.jpg/195px-SheetMusicWeAreComingFatherAbraam1862.jpg)
"We Are Coming, Father Abra'am", is a poem written by James S. Gibbons, set to music by eight different composers, including Stephen Foster. William Cullen Bryant published one version (with music by Luther Orlando Emerson (1820–1915). Bryant's newspaper originally published the poem and, because it was originally published anonymously, many assumed it was his, and it was widely republished, so Bryant issued a statement denying his authorship. The poem and music came in response to a call by Abraham Lincoln on July 1, 1862 for volunteers to fight for the U.S. in the American Civil War. It was published in the New York Evening Post soon after, on July 16, 1862. [1]
Lyrics
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/We_Are_Coming%2C_Father_Abra%27am_%28J.A._Getze%29.png/195px-We_Are_Coming%2C_Father_Abra%27am_%28J.A._Getze%29.png)
Song of the Conscripts
[edit]A parody of the song, titled Song of the Conscripts, expressed resentment against the 1863 Enrollment Act and particularly its provision for escaping conscription by paying a $300 commutation fee, which only the rich could afford.[3] One verse ran:
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These lyrics were printed in the New York Copperhead, and copies were distributed at the New York City draft riots.[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^ Silber, Irwin (1995). Songs of the Civil War. Courier Dover Publications. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-486-28438-5. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- ^ "WE ARE COMING, FATHER ABRAHAM". Civil War Poetry. Archived from the original on December 20, 2004. Retrieved December 20, 2004.
- ^ a b Cook, A. (2015). The Armies of the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots of 1863. University Press of Kentucky. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-8131-6255-3. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
- ^ a b Williams, D. (2012). A People's History of the Civil War: Struggles for the Meaning of Freedom. New Press People's History. New Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-1-59558-747-3. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- "We Are Coming, Father Abra'am" at Project Gutenberg
- The short film A NATION SINGS (1963) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.