Yankee Doodle

Have you sung the song “Yankee Doodle” and wondered what it was talking about? Did you know that “Yankee Doodle” was sung by the British soldiers during the Revolutionary War? They sang this song to make fun of the American soldiers and troops. The British soldiers had fancy uniforms to wear while the Americans didn’t have any uniforms to wear. Some of the American soldiers wore buckskin and furs.

Many of the words in the song have different meanings than the ones we use today. Yankees was the name the British soldiers called the American soldiers. Doodle was another name for hicks or country bumpkins. Macaroni in the song didn’t refer to pasta, but rather to a fancy style of dress used in England.

Surprisingly enough, the American troops liked the tune of the song. They made up their own words to the song and sang it as they went into battle. They created many verses to the song. Some say there have been 190 verses of the song. It’s been said that when Commander Cornwallis of the British surrendered, an American band played, “Yankee Doodle.”