May 9, 1863, Southern Confederacy (Atlanta, Georgia)
(Author Unknown.)
Air–Bonnie Blue Flag.
Oh! yes, I am a Southern girl,
And glory in the name,
And boast it with far greater pride
Than glittering wealth or fame.
I envy not the Northern girl
Her robes of beauty rare;
Though diamonds grace her snowy neck,
And pearls bedeck her hair.
Chorus.
Hurrah! hurrah! for the sunny South so dear;
Three cheers for the homespun dress
The Southern ladies wear.
This homespun dress is plain, I know–
My hat’s Palmetto, too–
But then it shows what Southern girls
For Southern rights will do.
We’ve sent the bravest of our land
To battle with the foe,
And we would lend a helping hand;
We love the South, you know.
Now, Northern goods are out of date,
And since Old Abe’s blockade,
We Southern girls can be content
With goods that Southern made.
We scorn to wear a bit of silk,
A bit of Northern lace,
But make our homespun dresses up
And wear them with much grace.
Our Southern land is a glorious land,
And hers a glorious cause;
So here’s three cheers for Southern rights,
And for the Southern boys.
We’ve sent our sweethearts to the war;
But, dear girls, never mind,
Your soldier lad will not forget
The girl he left behind.
A soldier is the lad for me–
A brave heart I adore–
And when the sunny South is free,
And fighting is no more,
I’ll choose me then a lover brave
From out that gallant band;
The soldier lad that I love most
Shall have my heart and hand
And now young men, a word to you;
If you would win the fair,
Go to the field where honor calls,
And win your lady there.
Remember that our brightest smiles
Are for the true and brave,
And that our tears fall for the one
That fills a soldier’s grave.