Let me revive this thread, as I'm going to be doing a version of this song for this year's Princeton Traditional Music Festival—and I'm interested in knowing more about my version.

It appears it's a great example of a sort of "modern oral tradition".

The original song lyrics, by Ernest Breuer and J. Brandon Walsh from 1914 are:


Somebody told Sam Jackson 'bout the War in Mexico.
They said, "Your country needs you now, so grab your gun and go.
Go where the rifles crack and lead each mad attack."
Sam said, "I knew a hero once who got shot in the back,
And after all the folks had read about the charge he led,
They said he was a hero. Ain't it too bad he's dead?
Therefore, I must refuse to help Miss Vera Cruz.
I couldn't go to any war with just one pair of shoes."

Sam Jackson said," my head and heart are very, very brave,
But when I am in battle, my two feet will not behave.
I had a fight one day; my head wanted to stay.
In spite of all my head could do, both my feet ran away.
A soldier on a battlefield can have lots of bad luck,
For when a bullet comes along, he might forget to duck.
So when the bugles blow, and all the soldiers go,
You'll see me going mighty fast, but not to Mexico.

"When the war breaks out in Mexico I'm going to Montreal.
On my forty-second cousin up in Canada I'm going to make a friendly call.
I'd like to be a hero in a suit of blue, but my insurance policy is overdue.

"When the war breaks out in Mexico I'm going to Montreal.
A postal card will reach me up in Canada; I won't be coming home till fall.
'Bout my patriotism, I don't want to brag,
But I'll lean out of a window and I'll wave a flag.
When the war breaks out in Mexico
Some one else can start fighting
Just break the news to father that I'm going to Montreal."


I learned a version, similar to the Whiskey Hill Singers version (credited to different writers) from my old buddy from Toronto, Chick Roberts (anybody know if he's still alive?).

It's almost the same as the lyrics Les Benedict wrote on the earlier forum. The most relevant differences are "I'll change my name from Johnny Reb to "Jean Pierre Lafille" (pronounced La 'fee)

And Chick added a little tag at the end that went:

"I'll miss the grey cup—I'll be fishing out in Acapulco".
Rat-tat-a tat ta. Rat-a-tat-a tata. Rat-a-tat a tat ta ta. "

Chick told me he used to do that song with his old group—the think they were the "Even Dozen Jug Band"—and it included Amos Garrett.