The Center Must Hold
From Gettysburg to the streets of Minnesota
I’ve been wanting to write a song about the valor and sacrifice of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer regiment’s role in preserving the Union victory during the battle of Gettysburg. After several false starts, I think I’ve found something that works. Here’s the research this song is based on:
Scroll to the bottom to hear alternate genres.
Lyrics
In the spring of sixty-one, the word came down the wire
The Union was breaking and the house was set on fire
Governor Ramsey gave his word, the first to join the fight
A thousand men from Fort Snelling marched out into the night
But two years on the anvil makes a heavy hammer swing
From Antietam’s bloody water to the dread of Fredericksburg
By the summer heat of sixty-three, in the Pennsylvania dust
Only three hundred survivors left for the battle of the just.
On the second day at Gettysburg, the sun was sinking low
When Sickles moved his Third Corps out and left a hole to show
A mile of empty ridge where the Union heart should beat
And Wilcox’s Alabamians were coming with the heat
General Hancock looked around, his face was turning gray
He saw the gap, he saw the end, he saw the coming day
He saw the First Minnesota, just two hundred sixty-two
He said, “Colonel, take those colors. It’s the only thing to do.”
And the center must hold, boys, the center must hold
Two hundred sixty-two hearts, fierce and bold
Buying five minutes with eighty-two percent
For the soul of a nation, that’s where the blood went
Down in the swale where the Plum Run flows red
The Union was saved by the Minnesota dead.
They didn’t stop to fire, they didn’t stop to pray
They leveled out their bayonets and they ran into the Gray
Five-to-one the odds were set, a “forlorn hope” they call
But they hit them like a timber-bolt and they didn’t let it fall
The colors hit the dirt five times in fifteen minutes’ time
And five times another hand reached up to keep the flag sublime
They didn’t break the rebel line, they just made it stop and stare
While the Union brought the cannons up and the help was finally there.
And the center must hold, boys, the center must hold
Two hundred sixty-two hearts, fierce and bold
Buying five minutes with eighty-two percent
For the soul of a nation, that’s where the blood went
Down in the swale where the Plum Run flows red
The Union was saved by the Minnesota dead.
The next day Marshall Sherman took the flag from the Virginia line
We keep it in a vault today, a trophy for all time
When they come asking for it back, the answer’s always “No”
It was bought with the blood of our grandfathers long ago
And the spirit of the First is in the North Star State today
When the shadows reach for our neighbors, we don’t look the other way
Whether it’s a rebel charge or a knock upon the door
Minnesotans stand together—we’ve done it all before.
When thugs roam our streets, we fill the gap
When thugs abduct, we fill the gap
When injustice demands a record, we fill the gap
When families need to eat, we fill the gap
When the helpers need funds, we fill the gap
When democracy needs defending, we fill the gap
Two hundred sixty-two went down…
Forty-seven walked away…
The highest price that’s ever paid…
To save the USA.
Yeah, we hold the center
Yesterday and today.
Alternate Genres
Heartland Country Rock
Indie-Folk
Celtic Rock
Dark Synthwave
Which genre do you like best?
I've listened to them all, I think the Celtic version is my favorite.