I just got my army call
And I run down to the army hall.
Sally come a-runnin' like a cannonball
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
I'm a-gonna cross that ocean wide
Army rifle by my side
When Hitler's beat you can be my bride
But I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
I'm a-gonna jump in a flyin' machine
A-loaded full of this-a TNT*
Stop old Hitler what I mean
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
A souvenir I'll send to you
Send Hirohito and Hitler, too
That's about all one feller can do
But I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
Sally, get a job and save your pay
Work your best for the U.S.A.
Write me a letter 'bout ever' day
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
If a blackout comes to the old home town
Sally, won't you pull your curtains down
If a shade goes up and a ship goes down
I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
And I run down to the army hall.
Sally come a-runnin' like a cannonball
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
I'm a-gonna cross that ocean wide
Army rifle by my side
When Hitler's beat you can be my bride
But I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
I'm a-gonna jump in a flyin' machine
A-loaded full of this-a TNT*
Stop old Hitler what I mean
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
A souvenir I'll send to you
Send Hirohito and Hitler, too
That's about all one feller can do
But I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
Sally, get a job and save your pay
Work your best for the U.S.A.
Write me a letter 'bout ever' day
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
If a blackout comes to the old home town
Sally, won't you pull your curtains down
If a shade goes up and a ship goes down
I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
envoyé par Pluck - 17/9/2025 - 10:23
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Words and Music by Woody Guthrie - 1944
Fonte: "Sally Don't You Grieve" by Woody Guthrie
Le canzoni di Guthrie tra il 1942 e il 1945 hanno per tema il secondo conflitto mondiale.
Della guerra, dal principio, Guthrie ha una visione esaltante, quasi futurista: la vede come un’occasione necessaria per annientare il nazifascismo. E vede l’America come una grande potenza il cui compito è proprio di assolvere a questa missione. Lui stesso, motivato da questo desiderio, parte come volontario nella Marina in servizio nel Mediterraneo.
Diverse le canzoni antifasciste.
"Sally, don’t you grieve" (Sally, non esser triste, 1944) racconta in prima persona la vicenda di un giovane americano. È appena stato chiamato alle armi, e prega la sua amata di non essere triste, di continuare a vivere da brava ragazza americana, anche qualora lui non tornasse più dal fronte:
"Sally, trovati un lavoro e metti da parte lo stipendio/Lavora meglio che puoi per gli Usa".
Il tono potrebbe essere ironico e nascondere una critica all’America capitalista, ma in questa fase Guthrie ha fiducia nell’America come potenza capace di annientare il nazifascismo e in fondo crede sia giusto lavorare e combattere per Lei. Il protagonista della canzone, infatti, intanto pensa alla sua missione:
"Attraverserò quel grande oceano/Col fucile al mio fianco! Quando avremo battuto Hitler, ti sposerò/fermare il vecchio Hitler è ciò che intendo fare".
Fonte: Patria Indipendente n.151 - 2017
Il menestrello antifascista e antisistema - Chiara Ferrari