Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 252, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 October 1918 — French Soldier Wrote Song “Won’t Go Home Till Morning” [ARTICLE]

French Soldier Wrote Song “Won’t Go Home Till Morning”

That most celebrated of drinking songs, “We Won’t Go Home Till Morning,” found its inspiration in war. The air was composed by an unknown French soldier after the battle of Malplaquet, which was fought in 1709. The French troops suffered severely in the battle, and when night came a cold, drizzling rain and a shortage of food added to their discomfort. The trooper-composer wrote the song on a drumhead, and it was designed tb cheer his unhappy comrades. It immediately attained popularity and spread all over France, and thence to England and America.