
Western Song: Battle of New Orleans
Jimmy Driftwood wrote the song The Battle of New Orleans. Many artists recorded it, but Johnny Horton is the singer who is most associated with this song. In fact, on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959, his version reached number 1 and became the No. 1 song for 1959. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the period mainly influenced by rock and roll music, The Battle of New Orleans became very popular with teens. Members of the Western Writers of America added it to their list of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Table of Contents
About the Song
The song depicts the Battle of New Orleans from the viewpoint of an American soldier; the song tells the story of the battle with a light tone and provides a humorous version of what happened there. A famous American fiddle tune called The 8th of January — the Battle of New Orleans’ date is where the melody is based. In an attempt to get the students’ interest in learning history, an Arkansas school principal with a passion for history, Jimmy Driftwood, set an account of the battle with this music. His attempt did not go to waste as he became well-known in the region for his historical songs.
Popular Recordings
Aside from Johnny Horton, several other artists have recorded this song. Famous versions include the following:
- Vaughn Monroe
- Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group
- Pete Seeger and Frank Hamilton
- The Royal Guardsmen
- American Sunshine Pop Band Harpers Bizarre
- Doug Kershaw
- Sunny Ryder
- Johnny Cash
- Les Humphries Singers
- Leon Russell
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
- Dolly Parton
- Bill Haley
- American Rock Group Sha Na Na
- British Indie Rock Band Cornershop
- Kingfish
- Les Claypool
In Albums
The song has also been released in the tracklist of the following albums:
- Nonesuch and Other Folk Tunes
- Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
- The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre
- America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song
- Hank Wilson
- Everyone Can Rock and Roll
- Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast
- Four Foot Shack
Listen to The Battle of New Orleans (Johnny Horton Version)
The Battle of New Orleans Lyrics
In 1814 we took a little trip Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip' We took a little bacon and we took a little beans And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin' There wasn't as many as there was a while ago We fired once more and they began to runnin' On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico We looked down a river and we see'd the British come And there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring We stood behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin' There wasn't as many as there was a while ago We fired once more and they began to runnin' On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico Old Hickory said, "We could take 'em by surprise If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye" We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well Then we opened up our squirrel guns and gave 'em Well, we fired our guns and the British kept a-comin' There wasn't as many as there was a while ago We fired once more and they began to runnin' On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round We filled his head with cannonballs 'n' powdered his behind And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin' There wasn't as many as there was a while ago We fired once more and they began to runnin' On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico Hut, two, three, four Sound off, three, four Hut, two, three, four Sound off, three, four Hut, two, three, four Hut, two, three, four