Jump to content

The Battle of Murfreesboro


lladnarr

Recommended Posts

Over 25 years ago I heard a song about the Battle of Murfreesboro, it was on a personal recorded cassette tape full of old country songs. I had always assumed that it was done by Johnny Horton, but I can not find a song about Murfreesboro through any search on the internet. I can remember little of the words, but it stqarted out with;

Murfreesboro was a peaceful town,

In the middle of Tennesee...

The chorus or bridge, started;

While the Yanks were sleeping, Forrest's men were creeping, right up to there front door,

I am wondering if anyone can tell me the actual name of this song, and who performed it.

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It might be one of the Smithsonian albums composed of Civil-War era songs recreated by their own staff. Check their site or any other such archival site to see if they have it. Years ago I saw one of the albums with songs about individual battles, although I don't have a copy myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Amazingly, I actually have an LP on which "Battle of Murfreesboro" appears. (Don't ask me why I kept this album.) Anyway, it was sung by Shorty Browning. I certainly can see the similarity to Johnny Horton. The lyrics you quote are indeed part of the song. The second line of the chorus is "When the battle was over and the men liberated, Murfreesboro was free once more." The album title is "Country and Western from Nashville, Tennessee" and it seems to have produced by Palace, with identifying numbers on the label of the LP of PST-717 and ST-33-2481 (side 1) and -2482 (side 2). The back of the album cover says (in part - it's a bit frayed) "Buckingham" and "New York City, N.Y." if that helps any. The liner notes were written by George Alpert in Nashville. I bought the album in the mid-1960s. Other artists on the album include Cowboy Copas, Frankie Carter, Roger Simpson, Stanley Alpine, Johnny Williams, The Wiseman Brothers, George McQueen, Howard Clark, and Red Henderson.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...
Over 25 years ago I heard a song about the Battle of Murfreesboro, it was on a personal recorded cassette tape full of old country songs. I had always assumed that it was done by Johnny Horton, but I can not find a song about Murfreesboro through any search on the internet. I can remember little of the words, but it stqarted out with;

Murfreesboro was a peaceful town,

In the middle of Tennesee...

The chorus or bridge, started;

While the Yanks were sleeping, Forrest's men were creeping, right up to there front door,

I am wondering if anyone can tell me the actual name of this song, and who performed it.

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

To hear this song, click below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0tdbDbM5GE

According to that YouTube entry, the song was recorded by Gene Galimore using the name of Shorty Browning. The YouTube entry shows the label of the Nashville Records 45 rpm recording. The label is a bit fuzzy, but it looks like the song was written by Eugene Krock - or something close to it.

I believe that the following are the lyrics (although there is one line I can't decipher; if somebody can supply the missing words that would be great):

Old Murfreesboro was a peaceful town
In the middle of Tennessee.
Where you go and have a little farm,
A-settle down if you please.

But a hundred years ago, my friend,
The Yanks changed all of that.
They came down here to fight a war
That they won't forget.

(Chorus)
While the Yanks were sleepin',
Forrest's men were creepin'
Right up to their front door.
When the battle was over and the men liberated,
Murfreesboro was free once more.

The Yanks took all the men and boys,
Locked them up in jail.
Six men were sentenced to die at dawn
For ...

The rebels charged in the early morn,
Caught the Yanks with their britches down.
A bitter lesson was learned that day:
Never sleep when Forrest was 'round.

(Chorus)

(guitar break)

When the big battle started in the early morn,
It sounded like a ragin' storm.
All over the hills and the valleys below,
They kept those cannons warm.

When Forrest gave the orders to advance,
His men didn't even pause.
The gun barrels glistened in the morning light,
They fought for the rebel cause.

(Chorus)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Our picks

    • Wait, Burning Man is going online-only? What does that even look like?
      You could have been forgiven for missing the announcement that actual physical Burning Man has been canceled for this year, if not next. Firstly, the nonprofit Burning Man organization, known affectionately to insiders as the Borg, posted it after 5 p.m. PT Friday. That, even in the COVID-19 era, is the traditional time to push out news when you don't want much media attention. 
      But secondly, you may have missed its cancellation because the Borg is being careful not to use the C-word. The announcement was neutrally titled "The Burning Man Multiverse in 2020." Even as it offers refunds to early ticket buyers, considers layoffs and other belt-tightening measures, and can't even commit to a physical event in 2021, the Borg is making lemonade by focusing on an online-only version of Black Rock City this coming August.    Read more...
      More about Burning Man, Tech, Web Culture, and Live EventsView the full article
      • 0 replies
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
×
×
  • Create New...