When the Yanks Go Marching In

09. When The Yanks Go Marching In
(Woody Guthrie/Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc., BMI)

Track 9 – Yanks Go Marching In (MASTER MA 2)
Once the United States entered the war, Guthrie threw himself into the war effort. He sailed as a messman three times on Atlantic crossings, ferrying goods to the North African invasion in 1942, and reinforcements to the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. Twice his ships met grim fates. The first was towed to port after taking a torpedo in the Mediterranean Ocean and allowed to settle in the mud of Oran Harbor; the third limped to a sheltering English port after discharging its troops on the beaches of Normandy, mission accomplished.

Once committed to the war effort, Guthrie like his good friend Pete Seeger was determined to defeat the Fascists. This is another of Guthrie’s World War II rallying cries, this parody set to the familiar tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Guthrie plays mandolin and sings lead, Houston offers guitar and harmony voice.