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The Last Fierce Charge

from Ballads and the Blues by T.C. Elliott

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about

In “The Viking Book of Folk Ballads” Albert Friedman writes, “Of the spate of cloyingly pathetic ballads that came out of the Civil War, this is one of the few to last in oral memory.” He went on to write that it “differs widely from the usual version which tends to be self-consciously literary.” When I read these words I was immediately set to dislike this reading. After all, I was led to believe that it was cloyingly pathetic. It turns out, though, that Friedman was not a reliable narrator.
I found several versions online and really enjoyed an iphone recording by Palmer T. Lee on Youtube. I used his recording as a starting place musically but arranged the song a little differently. Lyrically, I’ve used nine stanzas to tell the tale which seems to be much shorter than some of the other versions I’ve found.

lyrics

Twas just before the last fierce charge
Two soldiers drew their rein
With a clasp of the hand and a parting word
For they might not meet again

Together they’d rode on many a raid
And marched o’er many a mile
But never before had they faced a foe
With such stern and steadfast smiles

One was a man dark, stern and proud
His faith in the world was dim
For he only trusted the one he loved
She was all the world to him

“Write to her, Charlie, when I am gone
Send back that fair, fond face
Tell her I died so tenderly
And tell her my resting place”

The other was a boy with curling hair
Turned nineteen a month ago
With a flush on his cheek and a dimpled chin
He was only a boy, you know

“And if you ride back and I am gone
Will you do the same for me?
I have a mother who waits at home
Will you write to her tenderly?”

Just then the order came for the charge,
For a moment hand touched hand
Aye answered aye and on they rushed
That brave devoted band

credits

from Ballads and the Blues, released May 6, 2022
Traditional
Arranged by T.C. Elliott

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T.C. Elliott Columbia, Missouri

If Neil Young and The Holy Modal Rounders had a litter of baby songwriters then T.C. Elliott would be the runt of the litter.

T.C. has written over 1100 songs and at least one of them doesn't suck.

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