What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?
| "What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?" | |
|---|---|
 "What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?" cover | |
| Song | |
| Released | 1918 |
| Label | Jerome H. Remick & Co. |
| Composer(s) | Egbert Van Alstyne |
| Lyricist(s) | Gus Kahn |
"What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?" is a World War I era song released in 1918. Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics. Egbert Van Alstyne composed the music.[1] It was published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. of Detroit, Michigan. Artist E.E. Walton designed the sheet music cover. It features Uncle Sam inside a red, white, and blue question mark. He is holding his beard and looking down at liberty bonds. To the left of this image it reads, "Buy a Liberty Bond!" on some editions.[2][3] The song was written for both piano and voice.[4]
The song is a call to action. It encourages listeners to buy liberty bonds, especially if they are staying home while soldiers fight overseas. The voice states that it doesn't matter one's age, where he is from, or who he is. Uncle Sam expects everyone to help in the war effort. The chorus is as follows: [5]
- What are you going to do for Uncle Sammy?
- What are you going to do to help the boys?
- If you mean to stay at home
- While they're fighting o'er the foam
- The least you can do is buy a Liberty bond or two
- If you're going to be a sympathetic miser
- The kind that only lends noise
- You're no better than the one who loves the Kaiser
- So what are you going to do to help the boys?
The sheet music can be found at Pritzker Military Museum & Library.[6]
References
- ↑ Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 267. ISBN 0-89950-952-5.
- ↑ Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music. 2. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 772. ISBN 978-0-7864-2799-4.
- ↑ "What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys" Sheet Music". The National Museum of American History. The National Museum of American History. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "What Are You Going To Do To Help The Boys?". Mississippi State University: Universities Libraries Digital Collections. Mississippi State University. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "What are you going to do to help the boys? :song". Temple University Libraries. Temple University. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ Van Alstyne, Egbert, and Gus Kahn. What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?: Song. Detroit : Jerome H. Remick, 1918. OCLC 20267266
External links
Sheet music and song MP3 found at the Illinois Digital Archive