I'm Goin' to Fight My Way Right Back to Carolina

"I'm Goin' To Fight My Way Right Back to Carolina" is a World War I era song written and composed by Billy Baskette and Jessie Spiess.[1] The song was published in 1918 by McCarthy & Fisher, Inc. of New York, New York. The sheet music cover was designed by Andre C. De Takacs. It features an armed soldier tearing through the cover.[2] The song was written for both voice and piano.[3]

"I'm Goin' To Fight My Way Right Back to Carolina"
Sheet music cover found at Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Song
Language	English
Published	1918
Label	McCarthy & Fisher, Inc.
Songwriter(s)	Billy Baskette and Jesse Spiess

The lyrics are told from the point of view of a soldier who is willing to fight to his best ability. His inspiration is his girlfriend Caroline (also referred to as Carolina). The chorus is as follows:[4]

I'm goin' to fight my way back to Carolina

I'm goin' to run every Hun,

every son of gun I see

Depend on me, Cause I'm in this thing to win

And I know that it's no sin

To grab a little German, any little Herman

and carve my name on him

And I am satisfied Carolina loves me

I left my heart with her in Dixie land,

She'll understand that I may come back with something missin'

But that won't keep us from huggin' and kissin'

When I fight my way back to Caroline

The sheet music can be found at Pritzker Military Museum & Library.[5][6]

References

1. Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 194. ISBN 0-89950-952-5. OCLC 32241433.
2. Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7. OCLC 71790113.
3. "I'm goin' to fight my way right back to Carolina". Gonzaga University Digital Collections. Gonzaga University. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
4. "I'm Goin' To Fight My Way Right Back to Carolina". University Library. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
5. Baskette, Billy, and Jessie Spiess. 1918. I'm goin' to fight my Way right back to Carolina. [Song]. New York: McCarthy & Fisher. OCLC 497716628
6. I'm goin' to fight my way right back to Carolina. OCLC WorldCat. OCLC WorldCat. OCLC 13464209. Retrieved 19 February 2016.

Bibliography

• Parker, Bernard S. World War I Sheet Music 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2007. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7. OCLC 71790113
• Vogel, Frederick G. World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-89950-952-5. OCLC 32241433

External links

• View the song MP3 and sheet music here.