I'll place my knapsack on my back My rifle on my shoulder I'll march away to the firing line And kill that Yankee soldier And kill that Yankee soldier I'll march away to the firing line And kill that Yankee soldier
I'll bid farewell to my wife and child Farewell to my aged mother And go and join in the bloody strife Till this cruel war is over Till this cruel war is over I'll go and join in the bloody strife Till this cruel war is over
If I am shot on the battlefield And I should not recover Oh, who will protect my wife and child And care for my aged mother And care for my aged mother Oh, who will protect my wife and child And care for my aged mother
And if our Southern cause is lost And Southern rights denied us We'll be ground beneath the tyrant's heel For our demands of justice For our demands of justice We'll be ground beneath the tyrant's heel For our demands of justice
Before the South shall bow her head Before the tyrants harm us I'll give my all to the Southern cause And die in the Southern army And die in the Southern army I'll give my all to the Southern cause And die in the Southern army
If I must die for my home and land My spirit will not falter Oh, here's my heart and here's my hand Upon my country's altar Upon my country's altar Oh, here's my heart and here's my hand Upon my country's altar
Then Heaven be with us in the strife Be with the Southern soldier We'll drive the mercenary horde Beyond our Southern border Beyond our Southern border We'll drive the mercenary horde Beyond our Southern border