Friday, August 2, 2013

The Minstrel Boy

The above picture is a photograph taken of a child serving as a drummer boy in the American Civil War. It struck me enough to take the picture and edit it, applying the title 'The Minstrel Boy' from the Irish folksong written by Thomas Moore in the 1790s. The song became quite popular during the Civil War and gained even more widespread popularity after World War I. It is still played, often to the accompaniment of bagpipes, at the funerals of police/fire or military officers today. Because the picture's size would not permit me to also add the lyrics, I include them below.


During the American Civil War a third verse was written by some unknown author, and is sometimes included in certain renditions of the song:


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