Liberty Bell (It's Time to Ring Again)
| "Liberty Bell (It's Time to Ring Again)" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1917 |
| Composer(s) | Halsey K. Mohr |
| Lyricist(s) | Joe Goodwin |
The cover has George Washington, Betsy Ross, and her helper.
"Liberty Bell (It's Time to Ring Again)" is a song from 1917 written during World War I. Joe Goodwin wrote the lyrics, and Halsey K. Mohr wrote the music. The song was published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. in New York City.[1][2]
The lyrics to "Liberty Bell (It's Time to Ring Again)" resembles a call to action. The chorus repeats,
- Liberty Bell, It's time to ring again...
- Your voice is needed now;
- Liberty Bell...
- Though you're old and there's a crack in you,
- Don't forget Old Glory's backin' you[3]
Through the song Goodwin and Mohr were able to point out that the purpose of World War I was to "defeat tyrants who wanted to stifle American freedom, that precious legacy bequeathed by the Revolutionary War."[4] The cover of the sheet music shows a woman, presumably Betsy Ross, mending a flag. A woman is helping her, while a man stands behind her. The Liberty Bell is above their heads. The song was written for voice and piano.[2][5]
Recordings and commercial success
[edit]It was recorded by the Peerless Quartet[6] and Arthur Fields.[6]
The musical score was reprinted four times.[6]
The version sung by Arthur Fields and released by Columbia Records reached the number five spot on the US song charts.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland and Company, Inc. p. 204. ISBN 0-89950-952-5.
- ^ a b Parker, Bernard (2007). World War I Sheet Music. Vol. 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 371. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7.
- ^ Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland and Company, Inc. p. 338. ISBN 0-89950-952-5.
- ^ Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland and Company, Inc. p. 70. ISBN 0-89950-952-5.
- ^ "Liberty Bell; it's time to ring again". pritzkermilitary.org. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ a b c Paas, John Roger (2014). America Sings of War: American Sheet Music from World War I. Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 101, ISBN 9783447102780.
- ^ "Top Songs of 1918". Music VF. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
External links
[edit]- Liberty Bell (It's Time to Ring Again) Sheet Music at Library of Congress
- Sheet Music at Wolfsonian
- Sheet music and song MP3 at the Illinois Digital Archive
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