Music and lyrics by Jimmy Driftwood: Jimmy Driftwood was a high school principal and history teacher who loved to sing, play instruments and write songs. He wrote many songs to help his students learn about this battle and other historical events. "The Battle of New Orleans," is about a battle in the War of 1812, and it became one of the biggest selling hits of 1959. It is said that Mr. Driftwood wrote hundreds of verses to the song, but since records were only two to three minutes long at the time, he picked out his favorite ones to be recorded, and those are the ones displayed here. Students might also be interested to know that there is a movie called "The Buccaneer" about the Battle of New Orleans. It is interesting to reflect on the fact that despite the turbulant early relationship between England and the American colonists, our two countries have long since been strongly united.

In 1814 we took a little trip
along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We looked down the river and we seen the British come.
And there must have been a hundred of'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring.
We stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets til we looked 'em in the eyes
We held our fire til we seen their faces well.
then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave 'em..well.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our cannon til the barrel melted down.
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind
and when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
and they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
they ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Hup 2, 3, 4. Sound off 3, 4.... Hup 2, 3, 4.
Sound off 3, 4.... Hup 2, 3, 4

 

Footnote : Thanks to Gordon Menzies and Robin Watson, Gaberlunzie, for supplying the words of ' Battle of New Orleans' which I first heard sung by the Glasgow-born 'King of Skiffle'  Lonnie Donegan. We hope that all the American visitors to The Flag have an enjoyable Independence Day on the 4th of July. We, also, congratulate the American Football team on reaching the last eight of the World Cup - a great pity that Scottish referee, Hugh Dallas, denied the USA a penalty in their narrow defeat by Germany.

David B. Pincus got in touch saying we had the incorrect words and the song was by Jimmy Driftwood and he provided links to the song with music and a link for a bio on the author for which many thanks. We have corrected the words above as a result.

Click here to listen to the tune and see the words.  Click here for a bio of Jimmy Driftwood