Il était largement populaire parmi les vétérans de l'armée de l'Union après la guerre. Cependant, le général Sherman lui-même a dédaigné la chanson, en partie parce qu'elle a été jouée à presque chaque apparition publique à laquelle il a assisté[1].
La chanson finlandaise de protestation « Laiva Toivo, Oulu » (en anglais : « The Ship Hope, Oulu ») est composée de la mélodie de « Marching Through Georgia », mais avec des textes en langue finlandaise critiquant les actions du capitaine de la frégate titulaire Toivo[2].
Paroles
Strophe 1
Bring the good old bugle, boys, we'll sing another song
Sing it with a spirit that will start the world along
Sing it as we used to sing it, 50,000 strong[3]
While we were marching through Georgia.
Refrain
Hurrah! Hurrah! we bring the jubilee[4] !
Hurrah! Hurrah! the flag that makes you free!
So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea
While we were marching through Georgia.
Strophe 2
How the darkies shouted when they heard the joyful sound
How the turkeys gobbled which our commissary found
How the sweet potatoes even started from the ground
While we were marching through Georgia.
Strophe 3
Yes and there were Union men who wept with joyful tears,
When they saw the honored flag they had not seen for years;
Hardly could they be restrained from breaking forth in cheers,
While we were marching through Georgia.
Strophe 4
"Sherman's dashing Yankee boys will never make the coast!"
So the saucy rebels said and 'twas a handsome boast
Had they not forgot, alas! to reckon with the Host
While we were marching through Georgia.
Strophe 5
So we made a thoroughfare for freedom and her train,
Sixty miles of latitude, three hundred to the main;
Treason fled before us, for resistance was in vain
While we were marching through Georgia.
Adaptation irlandaise
Une version du refrain pour Come In est :
Come in, come in, I'll do the best I can
Come in, come in, bring the whole bloody clan
Take it slow and easy, and I'll shake you by the hand
Set you down, I'll treat you decent, I'm an Irishman
Références
(en) David J. Eicher, The longest night : a military history of the Civil War, New York, Simon & Schuster, , 990 p. (ISBN0-684-84944-5).