Soldier's Joy
"Soldier's Joy" is a bright, bouncing reel that fiddlers have played for well over two centuries. It began in Scotland, crossed to America, and became one of the best-loved tunes at old-time jams, even though its name hides a darker story.
- Type
- Reel or country dance tune
- Roots
- Scottish fiddling; dated as early as the 1760s
- Usual key
- D major
- Heard in
- Old-time, bluegrass, Scottish and contra dance music
History
The tune has been played in Scotland for more than 200 years, and written sources place it as early as the 1760s. Robert Burns used it for the opening song of his cantata The Jolly Beggars. The Library of Congress describes it as one of the oldest and most widely distributed tunes in the American tradition.
In America it became a fixture of Southern fiddling. Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers recorded it in 1929, part of the wave of 1920s string-band records that carried Appalachian music to a national audience.
What the name means
The cheerful tune has a grim name. During the American Civil War, "soldier's joy" came to mean a mixture of whiskey, beer and morphine taken to dull the pain of wounds. Some sung versions play on that meaning, which is why the words are much darker than the music.
We describe this song rather than print its words: versions differ widely from singer to singer, and the best-known ones come from particular recordings.
Playing it
Like most reels, it has two parts, A and B, each played twice. It sits comfortably on the fiddle in D, and on the banjo or mandolin it is a classic early tune to learn. It is also a contra dance favourite; see our contra dance guide.
Chords in D
A part: | D | D | D | A | | D | D | A | D | B part: | D | G | D | A | | D | G | A | D |
Play each part twice (AABB). Keep the rhythm steady and driving; the tune is meant for dancing.
More fiddle tunes: Old Joe Clark · Cripple Creek · all folk songs