For this blog post, I was going to focus on When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again and its Civil War origins changed for the Glenn Miller Band. I like other blog posts are striving to write for narratives that don\u2019t just tell a story of white culture. As my final blog post, this attempts to shine light on marginalized groups and the importance of music in ties to their story.<\/p>\n
While Glenn Miller adapted the 19th<\/sup> century song to his style of jazz to rally national spirit against the US enemies of World War II, using jazz as a strictly white American identity, in Mexican culture, something similar happened. Pedro Infante recorded the song, El Soldado Rosa<\/em>, in 1943 for Mexican soldiers fighting in World War II.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The lyrics state:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Me voy de soldado raso Voy a la guerra contento Virgen morena Mi linda Guadalupana <\/p>\n Translation:<\/p>\n I am going as a buck private,
\nVoy a ingresar a las filas
\nCon los valientes muchachos
\nQue dejan madres queridas
\nQue dejan novias llorando
\nLlorando su despedida.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nYa tengo rifle y pistola
\nYa volver\u00e9 de sargento
\nCuando se acabe la bola
\nNomas una cosa pienso
\nDejar a mi madre sola.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMandale su consuelo
\nNunca jamas permitas
\nQue me la robe el cielo.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nProtejela a mi bandera
\nY cuando me haga en campa\u00f1a
\nMuy lejos ya de mi tierra
\nLes probare que mi raza
\nSabe morir\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nI am going to the front lines
\nwith brave boys
\nwho leave beloved mothers,
\nwho leave sweethearts crying.
\nCrying on their farewell.
\nI am leaving for the war content,
\nI got my rifle and pistol,
\nI’ll return as a sergeant
\nwhen this combat is over;
\nThe only thing I regret:
\nleaving my mother alone.
\nBrown Virgin,
\nsend me your blessing,
\nnever allow
\nheaven to steal her from me
\nMy lovely Guadalupe
\nwill protect my flag
\nand when I find myself in combat,
\nfar away from my land,
\nI will prove that my race
\nknows how to die anywhere.
\nI leave early tomorrow
\nas the light of day shines
\nhere goes another Mexican
\nwho knows how to gamble his life,
\nthat gives his farewell singing:
\nsinging to his motherland.
\nBrown Virgin,
\nI entrust my mother;
\ntake care of her she is so good,
\ntake care of her while I’m away.<\/strong><\/p>\n