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  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] How to judge history, was Obama and religion
  • Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:07:09 EDT


> > It occurs to me that Southerners would be most against war in general.
> > I wonder if that is the case. Anyone know?

The vice-president in charge of the pod of the pharmaceutical company I
contrated with was an Irishman and very well versed in his own culture. I
was
playing in a Celtic band at the time. I had learned the words phonetically
to the
Carolan song Si Beag Si Mor and its cheery light melody some many years
before. Then with Irish speakers abounding, I tried my hand at learning some
Irish. Geees! What a blood thirsty song! Beheadings, dismemberments, and
in
the end nary a one left standing. Si Beag Si Mor means "Little Fairy Hill,
Big
Fairy Hill" and is about the harper sitting by a tuft of daffodils practicing
the tune but being unaware a horendous war was going on behind him unseen
between the fairy tribes.

I asked the veep about the song. In fact many Celtic songs in general where
if it's about war and destruction, it's upbeat an cheery, but if it's about
love and courtship, it's depressing and moody (dark and spell). He said it
was
in the Celtic nature, they assumed they were going to lose at love and it
would turn out to be a tragedy in the end, but they liked war and were happy
when
they were fighting no matter the outcome.

I'm afraid the South might well have inherited that from their Celtic
ancestors. Most of the Appalachian love songs are gloomy, in a minor key,
with no
hope of things turning out well. Example is the Appalachian version of
"Barbara
Allen"

"Mother dear come make my bed
Make it long an narrow
Sweet William died for me this day
I'll die for him tomorrow,"

And even the slighly cheerier "Shady Grove" traditionally ends in:

"Do you see the mournful dove
Flying from pine to pine
She's mourning for her own true love
Like I mourn for mine,"

But when it comes to war songs, they are upbeat:

(to a rather light tune)
"I followed old Marse Robert for four year near about
Got wounded in three place and starved at P'int Lookout
I caught the rheumatism a-campin' in the snow
But I killed a chance of Yankees , I'd like to kill some more"


Tennessee is not called the Volunteer State for nothing. I'd point out the
Battle of Kings Mountain and the Battle of New Orleans as examples. Many
military people through the years have said they prefer Southern recruits.
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