736. Rainbow Division
No title. Tentatively : 'Rainbow Division.' Anonymous male singer with banjo accompaniment. No place or date given. This song is added as an example of a newer creation in balladry. There is no text except what could be got from the recording. Judging from the text alone, there is no chorus; judging from the tune, however (compare the cadences), there is a chorus. The song begins (the real beginning is missing) with the last four measures of what, musically considered, would be the chorus. But the words are of anything but chorus character. The melodic relationship with our tune 'I'll Be All Smiles Tonight' (F-590) is evident. This is just another case where an
old, remembered melody serves for a new song. The song of sixteen measures is actually a compound of slight variations of the first four measures. The cadences are the cause for the most obvious changes.
F-63S
And I'm one a - mong the dy- ing, youth, not yet
a man, from the old -bow di - vi -sion,
And a boy from Dix - ie - land.'
His broth - er knelt be- side him to hear what he might say,
He hung his head in pit - y,- as his life - blood ebbed way.
The dy - ing boy looked up,
And he whis - pered,' Broth - er Jack,
Give this mes - sage to moth - er,-
If you ev - er get back.
Oh, Jack,
As he clasped his broth-er's hand,
He of - fered to hear the mes - sage to take to Dix - ie - land.
Chorus 5-8
The sun was slow - ly sink - ing, It soon will be shut down.
And night was soon to hud-dle o'er a blood - y bat - tie ground.
Chorus also: ^
Scale: Hexatonic (4), plagal. Tonal Center: c. Structure: aba1b1a-b1a'1b1
(2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2) = aa'a1a'1 (4,4,4,4).