Jesus Loves the Little Children

Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

Luke 18:16

Almost everyone knows "Jesus Loves the Little Children," but few of us have sung the three verses that go along with the chorus. Nor do many people realize this was originally a Civil Way ballad.

George Frederick Root was born into a large family in Sheffield, Massachusetts, in 1820, and showed signs of musical genius. By age thirteen, he boasted that he could play thirteen different instruments. As a young adult, he taught music in Boston and New York. He also composed music.

In 1855, he offered a song called "Rosalie, the Prairie Flower" to his publisher for the hefty sum of $100. Root's publisher, not thinking it worth that much, offered Root a royalty plan instead. In time, Root grossed thousands of dollars from "Rosalie," which helped establish him financially.

The outbreak of the Civil War deeply affected George, and he immediately began using his gifts to advance the Union war effort, writing a host of patriotic songs to rally the moral of the North. As a serious, classical composer, he was embarrassed at the simple martial music coming from his pen, so he signed them with the name "Wurzel," the German word for "Root." Among his most popular pieces was a ballad entitled, "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!"

In the prison cell I sit,

Thinking, mother, dear of you,

And our bright and happy home so far away,

And the tears, they fill my eyes,

'Spite of all that I can do,

Tho' I try to cheer my comrades and be gay.

Chorus:

Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! The boys are marching,

Cheer up, comrades, they will come,

And beneath the starry flag

We shall breathe the air again

Of the free land in our own beloved home.

After the Civil War, the melody remained popular but the words were dated. A minister named Clare Herbert Woolston, a lyricist whom Root occasionally used, wrote new verses and a chorus. And that's how a Civil War ballad about a soldier in prison became one of the most popular children's choruses in history.

Taken from the book: Then Sings My Soul