At the Music Hall: “Over There,” 1917

George M. Cohan

Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there
That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming
The drums rum-tumming everywhere.
So prepare, say a prayer,
Send the word, send the word to beware -
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over, over there

Still an enduring, nostalgic favorite which finds its way into popular culture. George M. Cohan’s rousing World War I anthem, Over There, is considered one of the defining songs of the early Twentieth Century. This patriotic song helped raise the spirits of the American soldiers during the First World War as well as providing a bit of bolstering pep to the people who were left at home.

For this song and his other patriotic works, George M. Cohan was awarded the Congressional Gold medal in 1936 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.