Song Name: The Liberty Song
Year of Release: 1768
Written by: John Dickinson
Performed by: Never recorded by an artist, though renditions exist
Key Lyrics: “No tyrannous acts should support your just claim/Or stain with dishonor America’s name”
“No more sweet labors Americans know/If British shall reap what Americans sow”
“Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all/By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall”
“In freedom we’re born, and in Freedom we’ll live/Our purses are ready; steady, friends, steady/Not as slaves but as freemen our money we’ll give.”
Description: Written before the revolution officially kicked off, the song is based off the official anthem of the British Royal Navy, “Heart of Oak.” It also has a similar lyrical structure to the Irish tune, “Here’s a Health.” “The Liberty Song” was published in the Pennsylvania Journal and the Pennsylvania Gazette on July 7th, 1968 and written by founding father John Dickinson
Why Was It Important: As one of the earliest patriotic songs in the colonies, it was a key rallying cry for the colonists against the British. It features the earliest known written use of the phrase, “united we stand, divided we fall” which has since become an iconic patriotic slogan throughout American history. The song gained even more significance in 1770 when its lyrics were altered and the title was changed to “the Massachusetts Song of Liberty” to reflect growing tensions between the colonies and Britain.
Recording:
Liberty Song - Pre-Revolutionary American Patriotic song (w/lyrics) (YouTube rendition)