Tunes 4 Two

Work
The new song We Are American, defining the difference between English and American, acts as counter-melody to the ever-popularYankee Doodle, with its chorus and numerous verses.

Many legends are attached to our national songs. Nunerous conflicting stories are told about "Yankee Doodle". There is one fact, however, that is known to be true. The song was used by the British to make fun of the Yankees. Later, during the Revolutionary War, the Yankees adopted it as their own song.

Why Did Yankee Doodle Stick a Feather In His Hat and Call it Macaroni? Back in Pre-Revolutionary America when the song "Yankee Doodle" was first popular, the singer was not referring to the pasta "macaroni" in the line that reads "stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni". "Macaroni" was a fancy ("dandy") style of Italian dress widely imitated in England at the time. So by just sticking a feather in his cap and calling himself a "Macaroni" (a "dandy"), Yankee Doodle was proudly proclaiming himself to be a country bumpkin, because that was how the English regarded most colonials at that time. But times have long since changed, and it is important to reflect on the fact that despite the turbulant early relationship between England and the American colonists, our two countries are strongly united. (by Richard Shuckburgh)

Lyrics

Verse 1           Yankee Doodle went to town           A-riding on a pony           Stuck a feather in his hat           And called it macaroni.	Verse 6           There I saw a swamping gun,           Large as a log of maple,           Upon a mighty little cart;           A load for father's cattle.
Chorus           Yankee Doodle, keep it up           Yankee Doodle dandy           Mind the music and the step           And with the girls be handy.	Verse 7           Every time they fired it off,           It took a horn of powder;           It made a noise like fathers's gun           Only a nation louder.
Verse 2           Fath'r and I went down to camp           Along with Captain Gooding           And there we saw the men and boys           As thick as hasty pudding.	Verse 8           There I saw a little keg,           Its head all made of leather,           They knocked upon't with little sticks           To call the folks together.
Verse 3           There we saw a thousand men           As rich as Squire David;           And what they wasted ev'ry day           I wish it could be saved.	Verse 9           Troopers, too, would gallop up           And fire right in our faces;           It scared me almost half to death           To see them run such races.
Verse 4           There was Captain Washington           Upon a slapping stallion           A-giving orders to his men           I guess there was a million.	Verse 10           Scared I was and hooked it off,           Nor stopped, as I remember,           Nor turned about till I got home,           Locked up in mother's chamber.
Verse 5           Then the feathers on his head           They looked so very fine, ah!           I wanted peskily to get           To give to my Jemina.

Performance
Always start by establishing theFootsiesatLevel 0.
     In this case, both songs are at the same level and will start onL(eft foot),
                0+3forWe Are Americanand0+4forYankee Doodle.
          BeatR, L, Rbefore youstartsinging.
SingYankee Doodlefollowed byWe Are Americanand make a loop of the 2 songs,
          leaving no "space" between them.
     The children, in unison, will gradually join you.
Then you divide the participants in 2 equal groups,
     start the first group singingYankee Doodle, and when they reachWe Are American,
     start the second group singingYankee Doodle.
          This produces the polyphony of the 2 simultaneous songs,
               and the loops in both groups allow you to keep it going as long as required.

Routine