Being interested in the American Civil war, I thought an isolated but important engagement might make good fodder for a lyric. Last night I settled on the battle for Little Round Top, pitting two Alabama regiments against the 20th Maine, commanded by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, a school teacher before the war. It's a good story, necessarily compressed for a lyric. There's a bit of recent history of the regiment, to orient the listener, and a generalized account of the fight. There is a strictly metered melody that works very well with the lyric.
I have two issues I'd like some input on.........
Should there be a mop up verse? The outcome for the participants? Or maybe left told short as it is to perhaps spur a listener to further investigate inspiration for the lyric? What say ye?
The last line of the chorus is just not right. Without changing the rhyme for "line", there needs to be a better summary of events......very short and concise......perhaps profound.
Chamberlain's Gambit © Buc
All through the summer of '63
shadowing the army of General Lee
Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine
bound for blood and glory......again
At Fredericksburg the winter before
Confederate guns took thirty or more
Lain on the battlefield a night and a day
Wounded and dying they froze.......where they lay
C:
Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine
Standing the Gettysburg line
Battered and wounded they stand just the same
As does their moment in time
Strong Vincent's regiments arrived just in time
Chamberlain's boys at the end of the line
The 15th Alabama came four times uphill
The 20th Maine stood their ground.......still
No shot for their rifles and Chamberlain knows
The Alabama rebels stand ready below
So it's fix bayonets boys! and over the wall!
May god have mercy on those.......that may fall