She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
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She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain, also sometimes called simply Coming 'Round the Mountain, is an American folk song often categorized as children's music.
Although the first printed version of the song appeared in Carl Sandburg's The American Songbag in 1927, the song is believed to have been written during the late 1800s. The song was based on an old Negro spiritual titled When the Chariot Comes. During the 19th century it spread through Appalachia where the lyrics were changed into their current form. The song was later sung by railroad work gangs in the Midwestern United States in the 1890s. The song's style is reminiscent of the "call and response" structure of many folk songs of the time.
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[edit] Lyrics
She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes, (when she comes). She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes, (when she comes). She'll be coming 'round the mountain, she'll be comin' 'round the mountain , She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes. (when she comes).
The same structure is repeated with the following verses:
She'll be drivin' six white horses when she comes, etc.
Oh we'll all come out to meet her when she comes, etc.
We will kill the old red rooster when she comes, etc.
We'll be havin' chicken and dumplings when she comes, etc.
We'll all be shoutin' "Halleluja" when she comes, etc.
Contrast this to the original lyrics of When the Chariot Comes:
O, who will drive the chariot When she comes? O, who will drive the chariot When she comes? O, who will drive the chariot, O, who will drive the chariot, O, who will drive the chariot When she comes?
King Jesus, he'll be driver when she comes, When she comes . . . .
She'll be loaded with bright Angels When she comes . . . .
She will neither rock nor totter, When she comes . . . .
She will run so level and steady, When she comes . . . .
She will take us to the portals, When she comes . . . .
[edit] Interpretation
While it is not entirely clear who the "she" in the song refers to, there are various plausible interpretations. One interpretation suggests that "she" is the train that will be coming through the tracks that are being laid out by workers. Another possible interpretation suggests that "she" refers to union organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones going to promote formation of labor unions in the Appalachian coal mining camps. White horses are a symbol of the mythological stature of Mother Jones and the rest of the song is related to the celebration which would ensue after her arrival.
Currently the song is usually sung in collections of children's music with slightly different lyrics. The song has been recorded by musicians ranging from Pete Seeger to Barney the Dinosaur.
Harking back to the original lyrics of When the Chariot Comes the song is sometimes referenced in relation to the end of the world. Most notably in The Illuminatus! Trilogy and the comic book Promethea.
[edit] Football Chants
At least two soccer chants are sung to the tune of this song:
- English fans chant 'Ten German Bombers' when their team is playing Germany.
- U.S. soccer fans often sing the following refrain when their team is playing a European one[citation needed]:
- If it wasn't for the Yanks you'd all be Germans,
- If it wasn't for the Yanks you'd all be Germans,
- If it wasn't for the Yanks, if it wasn't for the Yanks,
- If it wasn't for the Yanks you'd all be Germans!
[edit] Sources
Sandburg, C., The American Songbag. 1st Ed. Harcourt Brace, NY, 1927.
