During the tumultuous autumn of 1861, as the American Civil War intensified, poet Julia Ward Howe found herself in Washington D.C. witnessing a grand parade of Union troops. Returning to her hotel, Willard’s, her carriage was caught in the flow of marching soldiers. To pass the time, Howe and her companions joined in singing popular war songs, one of which was a spirited tune known as “John Brown’s Body.” The lyrics, particularly the defiant line, “John Brown’s body lies-a-mouldering in the ground…. His soul is marching on,” resonated deeply with the wartime atmosphere.
Howe, like many at the time, likely assumed the “John Brown” in the song was the famed abolitionist who had become a martyr for the anti-slavery cause. However, the true origin of the “John Brown Song” was more personal and accidental. It stemmed from a young Scottish immigrant serving in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia who happened to share the name John Brown.
This Scottish John Brown was acutely aware of the controversial abolitionist figure. His shared name made him the constant subject of lighthearted teasing within his regiment. As the soldiers marched, they would rhythmically chant a simple, catchy tune in the style of a folk song. The lines, including the now-iconic “His Soul’s Marching On,” were initially playful jabs directed at the young Scotsman. But as this catchy melody spread to other Union Army units, it evolved into something larger. It became simply known as a song about “John Brown,” increasingly associated with the abolitionist who had been captured at Harpers Ferry. New verses were spontaneously added, reflecting the growing legend:
Old John Brown’s body is a-mouldering in the dust,
Old John Brown’s rifleís red with blood-spots turned to rust,
Old John Brown’s pike has made its last, unflinching thrust,
His soul is marching on!
The morning after hearing this song, Julia Ward Howe was so moved that she penned her own, more elevated lyrics to the very same tune. These new words were soon published in The Atlantic Monthly under the title “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” This transformed the simple “john brown song” into a powerful anthem of the Union cause.
Tragically, John Brown the Scotsman, the unwitting muse of the original tune, would not live to witness the widespread fame of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” He perished early in the war, drowning in the Shenandoah River at Front Royal, Virginia.
The enduring appeal of “John Brown’s Body” is evident in its various iterations. Here are two more versions of the lyrics that highlight its evolving meaning and impact:
Version 1:
Old John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But though he lost his life in struggling for the slave,
His truth is marching on.Chorus: Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!
John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true and brave;
Kansas knew his valor when he fought her rights to save;
And now though the grass grows green above his grave,
His truth is marching on. ChorusHe captured Harpers Ferry with his nineteen men so few,
And he frightened “Old Virginny” till she trembled through and through,
They hung him for a traitor, themselves a traitor crew,
But his truth is marching on. ChorusJohn Brown was John the Baptist for the Christ we are to see,
Christ who of the bondsman shall the Liberator be;
And soon throughout the sunny South the slaves shall all be free.
For his truth is marching on. ChorusThe conflict that he heralded, he looks from heaven to view,
On the army of the Union with its flag, red, white, and blue,
And heaven shall ring with anthems o’er the deeds they mean to do,
For his truth is marching on. ChorusOh, soldiers of freedom, then strike while strike you may
The deathblow of oppression in a better time and way;
For the dawn of old John Brown was brightened into day,
And his truth is marching on. Chorus
Version 2:
John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on.Chorus: Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! His soul goes marching on.He’s gone to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord
He’s gone to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord
He’s gone to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord
His soul goes marching on. ChorusJohn Brown’s knapsack is strapped upon his back
John Brown’s knapsack is strapped upon his back
John Brown’s knapsack is strapped upon his back
His soul goes marching on. ChorusJohn Brown died that the slaves might be free
John Brown died that the slaves might be free
John Brown died that the slaves might be free
But his soul goes marching on. ChorusThe stars above in Heaven now are looking kindly down
The stars above in Heaven now are looking kindly down
The stars above in Heaven now are looking kindly down
On the grave of old John Brown. Chorus
In conclusion, the “john brown song,” initially a simple camp tune poking fun at a soldier with a famous name, evolved into a powerful anthem of the Civil War era. It became inextricably linked with the abolitionist John Brown and ultimately inspired “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” solidifying its place in American musical and historical memory.
Sources:
- “Story of John Brown’s Song,” an article writen by Edwin Cotter, published in Lake Placid News.
- “John Brown, The Thundering Voice of Jehovah,” by Stan Cohen
- “John Brown’s Body” by Benet; Quoted in “His Soul Goes Marching On” by Paul Finkelman
