intermediate
Eighth of January (Battle of New Orleans)
Old-Time
Jam Along
Chord Chart
A x2
D
G
A
D
B x2
D
D
D
A
Chords used:
A
D
G
Lyrics
In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.
We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
We looked down the river and we see'd the British come.
And there must have been a hundred of'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring.
We stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.
Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye
We stood quite still 'til we see'd their faces well.
Then we opened up our musket guns and really gave them hell
Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.About This Song
Eighth of January (Battle of New Orleans) is a traditional fiddle tune celebrating Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. This old-time melody with deep Appalachian roots became widely known when Johnny Horton turned it into the pop hit "The Battle of New Orleans" in 1959, though bluegrass musicians typically play it as an instrumental.
Practice Eighth of January (Battle of New Orleans) with the Grass App
Adjustable backing tracks, chord diagrams, demo videos, and 300+ bluegrass songs.