Mixtape

Audio / video files of songs mentoned in this story.

True, he had called the rent agent "a bastard of an Orangeman," but that, according to Gerald's way of looking at it, did not give the man any right to insult him by whistling the opening bars of "The Boyne Water."

Occasionally he burst out with "Peg in a Low-backed Car" and other Irish ditties or the more lugubrious lament for Robert Emmet, 

"She is far from the land where her young hero sleeps."

With no further warning, Gerald, who was hanging on the gate, threw back his head and began the "Lament," in a roaring bass.

The last thought made him think better of himself, for it had a certain poetic ring to it, and so he favored the girls with a loud and slightly off-key rendition of "The Wearin' o' the Green."

Nightly the dark tree-lined streets resounded with dancing feet, and from parlors tinkled pianos where soprano voices blended with those of soldier guests in the pleasing melancholy of "The Bugles Sang Truce" and "Your Letter Came, But Came Too Late" - plaintive ballads that brought exciting tears to soft eyes which had never known the tears of real grief.

Old Levi, Mrs. Merriwethers's coachman, who had led the orchestras for every bazaar, ball and wedding since Atlanta was named Marthasville, rapped with his bow for attention.  Few except the ladies who were conducting the bazaar had arrived yet, but all eyes turned towards him.  Then the fiddles, bull fiddles, accordians, banjos, and knucklebones broke into a slow rendition of "Lorena" - too slow for dancing, the dancing would come later when the booths were emptied of their wares.  Scarlett felt her heart beat faster as the sweet melancholy of the waltz came towards her:

The years creep slowly by, Lorena!

The snow is onthe grass again.

The sun's far down the sky,

Lorena . . . "

One-two-three, one-two-three, dip-sway-three, turn - two-three. What a beautiful waltz! She extended her hands slightly, closed her eyes and swayed with the sad haunting rhythm.  There was something about the tragic melody and Lorena's lost love that mingled with her own excitement and brought a lump into her throat.

... as if feeling the joy and excitment of the occasion, old Levi choked off "Lorena" in mid -bar, rapped loudly with his bow and, sawing away for dear life, the orchestra burst into "Bonnie Blue Flag."

A hundred voices took it up, sang it, shouted it like a cheer.  The Home Guard bugler, climbing onto the platform, caught up with the music just as the chorus began, and the high silver notes soared out thrillingly above the massed singing, causing goose bumps to break out on bare arms and cold chills of deeply felt emotion to fly down spines:

"Hurrah! Hurrah! For the Southern RIghts, hurrah!

Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag

That bears a single star!"

Then the music broke into the rollicking strains of "Johnny Booker he'p dis Nigger!" and Scarlett thought she would scream.  She wanted to dance.

And the orchestra crashed into the best of all reel tunes, "Dixie."

 ".... What is that tune?  Isn't it new now?"

"Yes.  Isn't it divine?  It's something we captured from the Yankees."

"What's the name of it?"

"When This Cruel War is Over."