Song Name: Chester
Year of Release: 1770
Written by: William Billings
Performed by: Never recorded by an artist, though renditions exist
Key Lyrics: “Let tyrants shake their iron rod/And Slav’ry clank her galling chains.”
“Howe and Burgoyne and Clinton too/With Prescot and Cornwallis joined/Together plot our overthrow/In one infernal league combined.”
Description: The song was first written by William Billings in 1770 and published in the songbook The New England Psalm Singer. However, the version best known today was published in 1778 in the songbook The Singing Master’s Assistant. It was one of the earliest patriotic anthems in the US, and its title has nothing to do with any particular town named Chester. Back then, songs were commonly labeled with place names that had nothing to do with the actual song
Why Was It Important: The song was published in 1770 before the Revolution, but the version whose lyrics are best known today was published in 1778, likely as a response to the events that occurred in the 8 years that passed between 1778 and its original publication. One reason that the events of the revolution likely inspired the lyrics is that multiple British generals (Howe, Burgoyne, Clinton, Prescot, and Cornwallis) are mentioned by name in the lyrics. The song portrays them as villains in an “infernal league.” Overall, the song helped stir up the spirit of the colonies before the war started, and was adapted to fit the events of the war years later, showing that it was significant both before and during the war.
Recording
American Revolutionary Song: Chester - William Billings (YouTube rendition)