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Between the Grey and Blue.

(David Trabue: Boiled Strings Music)

          The Southern moon shone down upon the man and me.

          We sang a song of home and how that’s where we’d like to be.

          Our buddies all joined in     on the chorus, too.

          And the harmony rang out between the grey & blue.

 

          At Fredericksburg I met up with my kin.

          Mostly common people, and they all were honest men.

          Far away from home for a cause we thought was right

          We said goodbye to family and headed off to fight.

 

          Last night we sang a song among the strangers there.

          We sang old songs and new ones like we didn’t have a care.

          The other side joined in on the singing, too.

          And the choruses rang out between the grey & blue.

 

          The evenin’ break became a nightly thing.

          When the cannons stopped their roarin’, we’d gather ‘round and sing.

          Them boys from the other side would start to sing along.

          They’d put aside their muskets as they’d join us in a song.

 

          Then morning came around and we’d tamp our powder down.

          We loaded up our rifles and we fought another round.

          Where last night we were singing like old friends they often do.

          Today the blood ran red between the grey & blue.

 

          Suddenly his face was next to mine.

          The harmony was gone as I heard my bullet whine.

          He never said another word nor would.

          Surprise died in his eyes his songs over now for good.

 

          I finished up my fightin’ and went home.

          Some family left behind with some stranger I’d not known.

          They all were buried there after all of it was through.

          And the memories will linger on between the grey & blue.

          Yes the memories will linger long between the grey & blue…

 

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During the Civil War, sometimes the battle lines were very, very close over a period of days.  With the men dug in yards away from the other side, there were instances where at nighttime when they weren't fighting, one side might start singing, for instance, shouting out Dixie. Then the other side would yell out Yankee Doodle, and a singing "battle" might take place.  But other times, a song might just be started by one side or the other to pass the time, and it might be a popular song and the other side would join in, with common music blending across the skirmish lines... That was what prompted the song – Between the Grey and Blue - singing with an unknown enemy soldier across the way one night, then the next day being out for his blood again, and - in this story - killing who you were singing with the previous night ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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