Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudeville act known as "The Four Cohans." Beginning with Little Johnny Jones in 1904, he wrote, composed, produced, and appeared in more than three dozen Broadway musicals. Cohan published more than 300 songs during his lifetime, including the standards "Over There", "Give My Regards to Broadway", "The Yankee Doodle Boy" and "You're a Grand Old Flag". As a composer, he was one of the early members of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). He displayed remarkable theatrical longevity, appearing in films until the 1930s, and continuing to perform as a headline artist until 1940.
Known in the decade before World War I as "the man who owned Broadway", he is considered the father of American musical comedy. His life and music were depicted in the Academy Award-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. A statue of Cohan in Times Square in New York City commemorates his contributions to American musical theatre.
Yankee Doodle Boy
George M. Cohan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
I'm glad I am
(So's Uncle Sam)
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle
Made my name and fame and boodle
Just like Mister Doodle did, by riding on a pony
I love to listen to the Dixey [Dixie] strain
And that ain't a josh
She's a Yankee, by gosh
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about a Yankee that's a phoney?)
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy
Father's name was Hezikiah
Mother's name was Ann Maria
Yanks through and through
(Red, white and blue)
Father was so Yankee hearted
When the Spanish War was started
He slipped upon his uniform and hopped up on a pony
My mother's mother was a Yankee true
My father's father was a Yankee too
And that's going some
For the Yankees, by gum
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about my pedigree that's phoney
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy
The lyrics to George M. Cohan's song "Yankee Doodle Boy" paint a picture of a proud and patriotic American, who is proud of his heritage and identity as a Yankee Doodle Boy. In the song, the singer introduces himself as the kid who has all the candy and identifies himself as a Yankee Doodle Dandy. He is very happy to be who he is, and his uncle, Uncle Sam, shares in his pride. The singer of the song describes himself as a real live Yankee Doodle, just like Mister Doodle who made his name and fame by riding on a pony. He loves to listen to the Dixie strain, "I long to see the girl I left behind me", and he proudly proclaims that she is a Yankee by gosh.
The song describes the singer's family background and how they are all Yankees through and through, with his father's name being Hezikiah and his mother's name being Ann Maria. His grandfather was a Yankee too, and his mother's mother was a Yankee true. The singer's father was very Yankee hearted, and he slipped upon his uniform and hopped up on a pony when the Spanish War was started. The song ends with the singer proclaiming himself as a Yankee Doodle Boy, born on the Fourth of July, with a Yankee Doodle sweetheart who is his Yankee Doodle joy.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the kid that's all the candy
I'm someone who has it all
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
I embody the American spirit
I'm glad I am
(So's Uncle Sam)
I'm proud to be American and so is my country
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle
Made my name and fame and boodle
I'm a true American who made my own fortune
Just like Mister Doodle did, by riding on a pony
Just like the original Yankee Doodle, I made something of myself with hard work and determination
I love to listen to the Dixey [Dixie] strain
"I long to see the girl I left behind me"
And that ain't a josh
She's a Yankee, by gosh
I enjoy listening to music that reminds me of home, and my sweetheart who is also a true American
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about a Yankee that's a phoney?)
Is there anything fake about being American?
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I am a true American, born on one of the most patriotic days of the year, ready to defend my country if needed
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
My sweetheart brings me happiness and is also an embodiment of the American spirit
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy
Just like the original Yankee Doodle, I have traveled and accomplished great things, proudly representing America
Father's name was Hezikiah
Mother's name was Ann Maria
Yanks through and through
(Red, white and blue)
My parents were true Americans, passing on their love for their country to me
Father was so Yankee hearted
When the Spanish War was started
He slipped upon his uniform and hopped up on a pony
My father was so patriotic that he immediately joined the military when his country needed him
My mother's mother was a Yankee true
My father's father was a Yankee too
And that's going some
For the Yankees, by gum
My grandparents on both sides were also true Americans, showing that being patriotic runs in the family
Contributed by Gavin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Old Music
I'm the kid that's all the candy
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
I'm glad I am
(So's Uncle Sam)
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle
Made my name and fame and boodle
Just like Mister Doodle did, by riding on a pony
I love to listen to the Dixey [Dixie] strain
"I long to see the girl I left behind me"
And that ain't a josh
She's a Yankee, by gosh
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about a Yankee that's a phoney?)
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy
Father's name was Hezikiah
Mother's name was Ann Maria
Yanks through and through
(Red, white and blue)
Father was so Yankee hearted
When the Spanish War was started
He slipped upon his uniform and hopped up on a pony
My mother's mother was a Yankee true
My father's father was a Yankee too
And that's going some
For the Yankees, by gum
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about my pedigree that's phoney
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy
100 subs with no vids
A song that inspired this song
We're a happy team at Hawthorn
We're the Mighty Fighting Hawks.
We love our Club, and we play to win,
Riding the bumps with a grin (at Hawthorn).
Come what may, you'll find us striving
Team work is the thing that talks,
One for all and all for one
Is the way we play at Hawthorn.
We are the Mighty Fighting Hawks.
Torres de Jorge Christian Armando
I'm the kid that's all the candy
I'm a Yankee Doodle dandy
I'm glad I am
(So's Uncle Sam)
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle
Made my name and fame and boodle
Just like Mister Doodle did, by riding on a pony
I love to listen to the Dixie strain
I long to see the girl I left behind me
And that ain't a josh
She's a Yankee, by gosh
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about a Yankee that's a phony?)
I'm a Yankee Doodle dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle boy
Father's name was Hezikiah
Mother's name was Ann Maria
Yanks through and through
(Red, white and blue)
“A Yankee Doodle, do or die— George M. Cohan
Father was so Yankee hearted
When the Spanish War was started
He slipped upon his uniform
And hopped up on a pony
My mother's mother was a Yankee true
My father's father was a Yankee too
And that's going some
For the Yankees, by gum
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about my pedigree that's phony)
I'm a Yankee Doodle dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle boy
Mystics
GO THE HAWKS
We're a happy team at Hawthorn
We're the Mighty Fighting Hawks.
We love our Club, and we play to win,
Riding the bumps with a grin (at Hawthorn).
Come what may, you'll find us striving
Team work is the thing that talks,
One for all and all for one
Is the way we play at Hawthorn.
We re the Mighty Fighting Hawks.
Billy
Best version I ever have heard, Billy Murray did it great too.
Nellie K. Adaba
👍
BusinessOfRhythm
@Nellie K. Adaba I love you
DerM ann
George M Cohan was perhaps one of the most patriotic Americans to have ever lived.
God bless him, and I hope that we all can strive to be a tenth as great as he was.
Silent Film Studios
But what about TF2 Soldier?
Noctifer
How can you be patriotic with such a horrible disgrace of society like we live in now
Thomas Ferrusi
either that, or enjoy some jimmy cagney
Spartan Goku
@Noctifer because that’s the first step towards fixing it.
Nellie K. Adaba
👍
Harold Farthington
I’d pay these guys to just do instrumentals of these