"Paul Revere"
by Vernon Dalhart
Sheet music courtesy of Lester Levy Sheet Music Collection |
Once the initial call to arms had been made successfully by the songsmiths, intellectual and symbolic sustenance was required to see the job through. A spate of songs came out that tied the present conflict to the origins of the American republic. "Paul Revere" is one that reaches into the semi-mythological past of the Revolutionary spirit. The rider who answered the call of the Old North Church is invoked to, once again, ride in warning. Whether intentional or not, he is asked to ride to every "hamlet, village, and farm," not to the cities or urban areas. As has been established by "War Talk at Pun'kin Center," the rural communities felt far removed from the war and responsibility for participation in such. It was well known, in a country still dominated by rural populations, that such complacency had to be overcome in order to raise the kinds of numbers needed to turn the tide in Europe. The sound effects are the kinds of kitsch that sold records and ideas to listeners.
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