Sept 1862
lyrics and melody by Tobie Hoffman July 2014
Am\ G F/E
Am/G F/Em
General Lee had his eye on the north Ragged men like hungry wolves
Am\ G F/E
The Potomac river behind his back 30,000 to attack
Am /E/Am
To
strike at the heart of the Union
C/G Am/EmLee’s army split his secret plan Jackson racing from the south
F/G/Am F/G/Am
As they marched through Maryland streets Citizens hid behind closed doors
C/G Am/Em
Maryland My Maryland * Could not rouse the soldiers ardor
F/G/Am
So they camped and waited
Em/Am
On the ridge along Antietam
On the ridge along Antietam
Chorus
Am/Em
Some
wore blue and some war gray
Am/Em
Some
turned round and some would stay
Am/G/F7 Some lived on, Many died
Em/Am
By the creek they call Antietam
70,000
men in blue
To the Union they were true
Wait at night in the rain and heat To the Union they were true
Armed
with the southern strategy
But
Gen. McClellan always cautious
Waited 18
crucial hours
To
strike at the heart of the Rebels
At first light the battle was begun
Surged back and
forth in early morn
15 times by 10 am
15 times by 10 am
8000
men lay wounded or dead
Generals
killed
Commanders
wounded
Men
loading and firing , others flee
What were
the final words they cried?
On
the cornfields of Antietam
Chorus
Federal
army ever stronger
Overtook
the sunken road
They
shot their prey
Like
sheep to slaughter
frenzy seized them as they stoodYankees firing on their knees
Bodies piled by 2s and 3s
At
The Bloody Lane of Antietam
But
from the south 3000 still
Dared to march for one last battle
There to smash the union’s will
Burnside of the northern armypleads for help none would come
No ground was gainedpushed back again
Chorus 2
Some wore gray and some wore blue
Some laid down and some broke throughSome lived on, Many died
By the creek they call
Antietam
The muskets silenced, the sun went down,
Half his command in the carnage
Returned to sacred southern soil
The wounded filling every building
Where four walls and a roof were foundIn the farmlands of Antietam
Lee outnumbered three to one
Braced for another days attackLincoln wired his commander
Destroy the rebel army now
It is not prudent to pursueMcClellan waited stopped again
It was too late to catch his foe
Fled away far from Antietam
Some wore gray and some war blue
Some laid down and some broke throughSome lived on, Many died
By the creek they called Antietam
More than 20,000 men
lost their lives, lost their limbs
On the cornfields, bridges, and the roads
one day along Antietam
Gonna lay down my sword and shield
By a creek they call Antietam _______________________________________________________
From our friends at Wikipedia
*"Maryland, My Maryland" is the official state song of the U.S. state of Maryland. The song is set to the tune of "Lauriger Horatius" — better known as the tune of "O Tannenbaum" — and the lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall (1839–1908). While the words were penned in 1861, it was not until April 29, 1939, that the state's general assembly adopted "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song.
The song's words refer to Maryland's history and geography and specifically mentions several historical figures of importance to the state. The song calls for Maryland to fight the Union and was used across the South during the Civil War as a battle hymn.[3] It has been called America's "most martial poem."[4]
Occasional attempts have been made to replace it as Maryland's state song due to its origin in support for the Confederacy and lyrics that refer to President Lincoln as a "tyrant," "despot," and "Vandal," and to the Union as "Northern scum."[5] To date all such attempts have met with failure.
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