Sherman (1998)

Words and Music ©1998, 2013 by Dallas Denny

Source: Denny, Dallas. (1998). Sherman. Unpublished song.

 

 

 

 

 

 

William Techumseh Sherman wasn’t—still isn’t—a popular name in the South. Why? Because he (under orders) introduced war upon the civilian populace, burning their homes and taking their belongings. His march to the sea left behind corpses, ruins, and broken hearts.

I’ve often wondered what Sherman might have privately thought about his march to the sea. Here, I speculate about that.

 

Me, 5 December, 2013 (160 KBPS MP3)

 

Sherman

By Dallas Denny

 

 My name is William Tecumseh Sherman

They say I’m a hard, hard man

I was made a general in the Union army

by that drunkard, Ulysses Grant

 

I was always known for following orders

I do what’s asked of me

And it’s for that reason Mr. Lincoln chose me

For this march of infamy

 

Refrain:

And it’s forward men

Roll over Georgia

Roll on to the sea

Let them learn my name

let them learn a lesson

Let them hate the thought of me

 

Atlanta lies in flames behind me

Savannah’s just ahead

And the widows and orphans of the men I’ve murdered

Weep and count their dead

 

In a hundred years

Will this war-torn nation

Once again be whole

Will the great grandchildren of this land I’ve ravaged

Curse my Yankee soul

 

Repeat Refrain:

And it’s forward men

Roll over Georgia

Roll on to the sea

Let them learn my name

let them learn a lesson

Let them hate the thought of me

 

My name is William Tecumseh Sherman

They say I’m a hard, hard man