Song 5 "Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier"

Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier is a traditional American folk song that Mark O'Connor (and a few others) sang.


When it was written.


The O'Connor version was written in 1997, but the traditional song dates back to around the American Revolution.


What it is about.

This song is about what people had to go through and give up during the American Revolution, particularly women. A girls husband has gone off to war and she not only has to deal with his leaving (and most probably dying) but she sells much that she owns to buy him a sword. It goes on to say that she will most likely become a begger after "Johnny" is gone.


How the story is told.

Although the original song is told by the girl and Johnny, now it is told about the them by an unspecified 3rd party, giving a slightly different perspective on the situation. Sill, he isnt singing about these people like it happened over 200 years ago, but more like it just happened and he witnessed it.


My thoughts.

I think that this is a beautiful song. I love that it focuses on what the women had to go through during the war. Usually you hear more about the soldiers than the wives of soldiers.


What we can learn.

We learn from this song about the hardships that many Americans went through, not only during the American revolution, but during other wars too.