Bioshock Infinite Music - The Bonnie Blue Flag (1861) by Harry McCarthy

[@SupSatire]

This was a strangely powerful part of the game. Listening to a proud marching song while fending off denied, desperate, and VERY angry veterans who just want to be recognized for their service and sacrifice. It's almost tongue in cheek, almost satirical.

[@user-gd7kn1qq6n]

Lol that’s not all they want they are also confederate sympathizers and white supremacists

[@argoniananthony894]

I actually shot to the beat of the song with the carbine rifle.

[@Darkstar263]

​@@argoniananthony894 I love using the Carbine. I'm very accurate with it.

[@FarhadHakimov]

Say what you want about the fighting men who risked their lives and limb, but being patriotic and blissfully oblivious to the aims of the government they "protected" now leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.

[@olekcholewa8171]

@@FarhadHakimovIf the commemoration of men who defended their homes and families against a foreign invasion leaves a sour taste in yourself mouth then perhaps you need a new set of values.

[@CBfrmcardiff]

Polk Miller served in the Confederate Army as a teenager, 50 years before this was performed. The other 4 singers in the quintet were, on the other hand, either slaves or the descendants of slaves. The only member of the group whose name was a brand was Polk Miller - the 4 black singers were essentially anonymous. Miller's diaries are of historical interest, and apparently he frequently complained of the difficulties his group had because of the prejudice against black men.

[@quondamchoir6615]

Interesting

[@trainknut]

I think the most interesting part of that, is that this was sung by a man who actually fought in the confederate army. Obviously no audio recordings exist of the war, or of the music at that time, but to have a recording of a man who was alive back then singing it does give a unique perspective. Kinda haunting actually, to think that the youngest people to ever meet the last civil war veteran are probably all themselves dead now, but we can still listen to an actual confederate soldier singing his music, it's pretty amazing.

[@thedarkvegan6872]

@@Bryonic-xb6ol Dark Ages...lol

[@SomeOne-vf1rs]

The Dark Vegan Considering how many died and the principles for which those men died, I’d say it’s an accurate comparison. We’re far from functional now, but we’ve at least moved past what those days meant for this country.

[@SomeOne-vf1rs]

Dom510 It was, but I didn’t say that :/, and even if it wasn’t a lot of people died and the people who were “fighting against an oppressive body” lost, and the union won.

[@justin2308]

I first heard about the Bonnie Blue Flag through this version, and it is by far still my favorite because it was a legit performance with a confederate soldier as the lead singer.

[@Mathadar]

I first heard it through the film Gods and Generals where this song was performed.

[@zacharybatten]

this is actually the oldest recording of the song, the main singer was a Confederate veteran and the chorus is African American

[@BigTony-bf5jr]

Sakkra101 1901

[@Rebel_Railroad_Productions]

I kinda knew this was quite an old song, and yeah turn-of-the-century old too. Had no idea about the other trivia. That's friggin' awesome though. It's important that we keep relics from the past such as this preserved so that future generations can know and understand how old tech worked.

[@sjsabattis]

So Africans are always in the back it seems,

[@aceradionetwork3697]

@@sjsabattis how come people like you make Race part of everything

[@youpretty5343]

@@sjsabattis what the fuck is wrong with you, why do you involve race? Fucking libtard

[@EdoloChannel]

Never thought I'd appreciate music from 1861.

[@LEIGHhe65]

I did

[@viatornl]

this cover was created in 1909 actually.

[@M.Bison94]

For the record, fuck the confederacy

[@KingofFranceandNavar]

One of the richest and by far most fulfilling segments of BioShock Infinite. Not only a great song in itself, but certainly fitting and suitable for the part in which it was intended to be played for at the Hall of heroes entrance.

[@cough222]

I remember a bunch of soldiers in a scene in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly singing this.

[@thenewniccage2283]

Thought of this too. A bunch of drunken soldiers sing this as they throw a battered prostitute from a moving carriage and rattle off into the night, and she happens to be the woman Lee Van Cleef is looking for. It's a striking and horrible scene.

[@darkwanderer9740]

Oh we're a band of brothers Living from the soil Fighting for the property We gained by honest toil; When first our rights were threatened And the cry drew near and far We raised on high the Bonnie Blue Flag That bears a single star Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah! Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag That bears a single star (Chorus) Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah! We rally around the Bonnie Blue Flag That bears a single star Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah! We rally around the Bonnie Blue Flag That bears a single star First gallant South Carolina Came nobly to the stand And then came Alabama And took her by the hand Quickly followed Mississippi, Georgia and Florida And rallied around the Bonnie Blue Flag That bears a single star (Chorus) Ye men of valor, gather 'round The banner on the right For Texas and fair Louisiana Will join us in the fight; With Davis for a president And Stephens a statesman rare We rally around the Bonnie Blue Flag That bears a single star (Chorus) Here's to Virginia The Old Dominion State Who with the young Confederacy At last has linked her fate; Impelled by her example Let other states prepare To raise on high the Bonnie Blue Flag That bears a single star (Chorus) Cheer, boys, cheer And raise a joyous shout For North Carolina and Arkansas Now have both gone out; And let another rousing cheer For Tennessee be given For the single star on the Bonnie Blue Flag Has grown to be eleven (Chorus)

[@khajaazharuddinsiddiqui4844]

Dark Wanderer Thanks Pal.

[@nippletwister9212]

*native of the soil

[@trainknut]

And here's to our confederacy Strong we are and brave, Like patriots of old we'll fight our heritage to save; And rather than to submit to shame To die we would prefer, So we'll rally around the bonnie blue flag that bears eleven stars!

[@mrnobody2740]

Thanks

[@lordfarquaad1319]

@Rockin Robin nah I don't think so lol but they fought hard I'll give them tht

[@candycryptid2832]

I just love the depth and intensity and philosophy of Bioshock. Also, I really like this kind of music.

[@noahhradek5426]

I find it amazing that in this era they could record a song.

[@tardarsauce1842]

I really how this song sounds so old and "grainy". You can really feel that it actually sung by Confederate veterans, who were still living back in the 1910s.

[@Panzerreich]

My favorite version of this song! Bioshock Infinite= One of the best games EVER.

[@요염한펭귄]

"Booker, SNIPER!!"

[@mr.hawkeye3319]

Thank you

[@BrucesPhonograph]

This was recorded in 1908 for Edison's 4 min (200 thread/inch) cylinders. It was later put on celluloid blue Amberols which used the same mold. It's not a really rare cylinder, especially in the south where it can often (or used to) show up in a group of Blue Amberols.

[@AlienAmongst]

Songs like this help me through hard times.

[@SwordsmanMercenary]

This was really the anthem of the Confederacy most people think Dixie land is. I was surprised to hear this in the game though it was creepy because I'm looking around seeing dead bodies with this music playing, it fits well with Slate and his men.

[@SwordsmanMercenary]

I've actually never heard god save the south

[@christianberthiaume4063]

SwordsmanMercenary The CSA had no official national anthem because their Congress never bothered in its short life to declare one.

[@killerzombie2171]

@@HerrRukasu the song inspired the technical real confederate flag a entire blue flag with a single white star

[@TrueVaultEscapades]

I'm already a huge record collector for vintage music, but I'm seriously thinking about taking a step back and purchasing a photograph for this song and many others like it. But by the way, this is a version by Polk Miller.

[@ianloeb1672]

All_Fallout good luck finding one in good condition i have one and it cost $10,000 if you can even find one

[@viatcheslavkalashnikov1397]

Photofraph of PhoNograph?

[@vinnycuozzi1278]

Ian Loeb A good cylinder phonograph can run you $500-$1000, but it depends if this recording is on a cylinder or it’s an early disc recording

[@CPorter]

war never changes Edit 2023, this song may have been written in 1861, but Harry McCarthy is only the composer, not the actual singer & band, which is Polk Miller, who recorded this in 1914 on Edison Blue Amberol with his Old South Quartet.

[@vannophatkaploykeo5924]

if it's one thing I know..

[@vannophatkaploykeo5924]

if it's one thing I know..

[@batman6621]

C Porter ur right

[@Kamradpierre1200]

Goddamn you stil edit your comment after six years!?

[@oneoneword]

I'm amazed that you managed to find all these song and jeez can't believe the collection of music now more than ever with Infinite. They really did their homework and picked quite a collection. In short, thank you so much for finding and uploading these jsparakov, Hurrah! ^o^

[@absentreverie]

hurrah! hurrah! (1800's and early 1900's music is my favorite kind of music, holy hell its so good)

[@principetnomusic]

I like how the song uses the original lyrics.

[@vinnycuozzi1278]

This is the oldest known recording of it

[@olekcholewa8171]

@@vinnycuozzi1278 There is a recording from 1895 I believe

[@mfhoss9570]

god damn i love bioshock

[@TacticalNuke321]

It's better to be historically accurate than politically correct.

[@pricelessppp]

Agreed.

[@billyyank1916]

Yep, lol

[@DrJones20]

Say that to the antifa tearing confederate statues down

[@levvy3006]

Tell that to the fascists tearing down communist statues.

[@NotJeffXEpstein]

Personally, I don't care about either. But a statue of a Communist is worth something to history. As would Mein Kampf to a college library. They're both essential.

[@thenewniccage2283]

Ironically, it is a notable Union imitation (J.L Geddes' 'The Bonnie Flag with the Stripes and Stars') that contains these lines: "Our bride is fair Columbia, no stain her beauty mars. O'er her we'll raise that brave old flag which bears the Stripes and Stars" "

[@101Dealer]

This song just makes you picture a group of soldiers sitting around a campfire and singing this song, just makes you think.

[@mrbutthurt7341]

Love the human feeling of it

[@delorianecameron5250]

@@mrbutthurt7341 or drinking with your mates it’s one of those warm feelings cheers dude!

[@nikothecat9985]

This song makes me think of an old veteran on a rocking chair with a banjo singing

[@Democlassof14]

crazy that im listening to a song thats over a century old, and has existed longer then i will be alive . a mind fuck. and everyone thats singing this song are older than that

[@lancegarcia9289]

well the singers are dead

[@Democlassof14]

Yup. The people in this song are older then song it self. It's a artifact.

[@aaudi6365]

This song was actually recorded in 1910, enough time for sound recordings to be common, and this one is the cover made by Polk Miller. Though not the first recording, it might be possible to consider this the first recording of this particular song. (BTW, I like that Discord :) )

[@Mirinovic]

"Booker take this rifel"

[@alpotenciano5891]

I remember that when I first heard this song in-game, I just stayed still to hear it (after making sure the place was clear)

[@SevuhnElevuhn]

i hate how we cant reply to each other, but to bluntsmoka, its the difference between winning and losing. George Washington would be thought of as a dirty rebel if he lost.

[@thunderaoi]

That's the true about war, the victory is "truth"!

[@johncisney15]

"North Carolina and applesauce now have both gone out" :D

[@ChristianDuncan]

Don't you hate it when your applesauce goes out? I hate when that happens.

[@thedumbdog1964]

No wonder they lost

[@johnhammel9359]

Look at this idiot what haven’t you heard of the state of applesauce

[@gaiusjuliuscaesar9296]

@@johnhammel9359 Right beside the state of okrahomo

[@tra-viskaiser8737]

My grandma, aunts and uncles on her side all spoke like the singer here does. And it always stood out when she said arkansas(ar kin saw, as we say it these days) but she said ar-kan-sis. They also all learned to write in some half cursive and half script that I can read, but can't write it. My mom wrote that way too.. I can read cursive, I can read script... but sometimes I had to ask what was written in a sentence. Interesting how much changes in 50-100-150 years...

[@GhostPlanetFilms]

Thanks, man! I was wondering what this song was!

[@righteousham]

Hurrah, to Bioshock for introducing me to such amazing music. Every time a new Bioshock game comes out at least part of the anticipation is for what new songs they will use.

[@andrewryan590]

Thank you so much for this upload!

[@justin2308]

This version actually inspired me to look deeper into history than I once did- and now I’m saying ‘Deo vindice’ as one of my own personal mottos.

[@Bunniluvs_bunz]

I love music like this!

[@argoniananthony894]

I shot the carbine to the beat, just outside the hall of heroes.

[@venusboys3]

When I first heard this in the game it made me feel sad for Slate's soldiers... their days of loyal service at an end. But once I looked up the lyrics it took on a more sinister tone... reminding me of what sorts of service they'd been up to.

[@thewonderfeline]

I love this era and it's music, call me weird but I was born at beginning of the century and I have old time religion on my iPod and I also listen and sing this song along!

[@SketchTM]

Yeah you're just so weird man honestly.

[@owenent9636]

I'd call someone who has Rhianna or Miley cyrus on their iPod weird, this just goes to show you choose your music, i guess you're more interesting. It's a good thing!

[@SketchTM]

Owen Ent Dude I'm being sarcastic, it's not weird at all.

[@spaxspore]

its called being cultured. I salute you sir.

[@SketchTM]

Succinctly put, it's called having a preference. Nothing more.

[@LexioRules]

gg Cornelius Slate

[@Josh-le6lu]

there's nothing scarier in this game than george f*king washington sprinting up to you while this song is playing.

[@SpectralFox4248]

Right the robo george washington when I first saw that thing I almost shit my pants

[@BayouBoy2443]

We makin it out the Union with this one 🔥

[@Hehhehha]

Been looking for this for so long!

[@PartnershipsForYou]

I OPEN A TEAR, A TESLA COIL AND ZAP COMSTOCK INTO SOIL. Hurrrah!!

[@BoozyBeggar]

#ComstockDidNothingWrong

[@SCPKing1835]

@@BoozyBeggar #FitzroyDidNothingWrong

[@PartnershipsForYou]

@@BoozyBeggar fuck com stock

[@BoozyBeggar]

@@PartnershipsForYou Not a fan of peace and prosperity, I take it.

[@briansmith6172]

I wonder how history would have turned out had no one fired on Ft Sumter?

[@andrewthejew6007]

+Brian Smith they would attack another fort lol

[@zachrich7359]

Lincoln would have just kept reinforcing forts by marching through CSA territory, conflict was inevitable and the CSA took a gamble and tried to prevent centers of Union resistance in their territory. It failed in the end as many points were unable to be captured and those that were are retaken within a year or two due to just the strain of defending so much at once and incompetent commanders remaining in charge in places the shouldn't.

[@BoozyBeggar]

I wonder how history would've turned out if they hadn't destroyed the "Columbia exhibit" of 1893. LOOK IT UP

[@DaLatinKnight]

Remember this from Gods and Generals

[@LucasIvy]

Goold ol' 1861

[@kathic6402]

The Union Forever!

[@SCPKing1835]

HURRAH, BOYS, HURRAH!

[@olekcholewa8171]

Our Dixie forever She's never at a loss

[@mrzaf72]

@@olekcholewa8171 Down with the eagle and up with the cross

[@olekcholewa8171]

@@mrzaf72 We will rally round the Bonnie Flag, we'll rally once again

[@Brianchristenson-g6w]

I hang a bonnie blue flag in my window my kin comes out of Texas

[@Shawnxoz]

this is my favorite Bioshock song

[@pinkwings8036]

I'm doing my absentee ballot, and I figured Bioshock Infinite's soundtrack was quite suited to the event, very old Americana.

[@HigHrvatski]

I love that the main singer sounds old and drunk, where you can barely understand him. Why? It gives the song grit that somebody with a nice clear voice could never do.

[@olekcholewa8171]

He sounds like a depressed veteran, singing this decades after the defeat of the Confederacy. It gives that creepy, surreal feel.

[@texanpatriotstrategy9135]

HURRAH FOR OUR SOUTHERN RIGHTS HURRAH WE RALLY AROUND THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG THAT BARES A SINGLE STAR!!!

[@sidvyas8549]

TexanPatriot Strategy Hurrah Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!

[@yahoorelee007]

TexanPatriot Strategy Republic had the lone star before it became an issue of state's rights. We were already our own nation.

[@mrsubject1]

Always thought it was sovereign rights

[@EmeraldMinotaur]

God dammit why does this song have to be so catchy

[@capin45]

I believe it is the first recording of the song. The song was written in 1861 as to when it was recorded I can't say.

[@BrucesPhonograph]

Edison's National Phonograph Co. recorded a number of selections by Polk Miller's Old South Quartette in 1908 or "09 to be distributed by his phonograph and record dealers. Polk Miller's selections sold especially well in the south where his quartette performed in the late 19th and 1st decade of the 20th century for Confederate Army reunions.

[@aaudi6365]

This song was written in 1861, but this particular recording was made in 1910 by Polk Miller, enough time for sound recording to be a common tool. So despite not being the first recorded song, it might be the first of this particular song. BTW, I like that Discord :)

[@hermit_36]

rock on, cornelius slate. o7

[@Gypsy-Tongue]

I imagine those good ol boys trying to reach the top of a hill against those men in blue and this plays for their spirits (im saying this as a northerner)

[@josemoreno8375]

something told me there was a history behind this song. I love Ken Levin and his fearlessness for making something a video game that makes you feel unsettled.

[@BDNeon]

I was listening to an Irish folk song, the Girls of Dublin Town, and the melody was strangely familiar to me, then I suddenly remembered this. I wonder which came first... it's interesting how many songs are often derived from the same melody, I think that says something about human nature :)

[@Kintobor29]

Miller was one hell of an artist. He a former Confederate veteran who even tour with 5 black singers. He was driven out by racists and others because no one had ever seen something like. Its a pretty stark contrast with Columbia's racist agenda too, fitting with there own hypocracy. An honorable man and one awesome game. Thank you Bioshock Infinite!

[@corgifloofi4840]

anyone else pumped up to shell Fort Sumter?

[@trcsonic]

Awesome song

[@reflective_lights]

1 in 50 men were wounded from the north in the civil war. 1 in 2 men were wounded from the south. I can not imagine living in a society as physically scarred and embittered as the reconstruction south was.

[@Brianchristenson-g6w]

Rebel yell. Nathan Bedford Forest

[@69Bluntsmoka420]

The Colonists wanted control of their own affairs without having to consult a distant government in London telling them what to do. The South felt the same way about a hostile government in in DC. The colonists were able to get foreign aid from foreign countries like France, the South never did. A captured Southern soldier was asked by his captors why he was fighting, he answered "I'm here because you're down here."

[@pienoaji]

yeah but they also wanted to own black people as property, so...

[@Solarius1983]

@@pienoaji North did too. Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri ect

[@nickgonzalez10]

My favorite song! Long live the south!🇸🇴

[@TheCynicalJew]

This is now an inside joke with my friends, oh god it's great.

[@tedsolomon925]

Love this song...

[@dethswurl117]

Such a good game.

[@SirEriol]

Since Columbia is full of racists and the flag has only one star after its secession, I don't know if they found a song that perfectly fits everything, or they made everything in the game like that just so they could use the song and make it seem so coincidental...

[@SirEriol]

Yeah, I know. That why I think its so damn perfect.

[@half-slav]

SirEriol Not "racism", realism.

[@mrsubject1]

That's true

[@mrsubject1]

@@half-slav idk when he said racism. Ifreferring to the comblians they definitely were racists under a theocrat so more which supported stoning and public execution, maybe a bit more than what was normal. Unless it was set in an Islamic state today and set the hue of everyone's skin down a few notches

[@gunnarthefeisty]

@@half-slav you ok?

[@Perid0tStar]

this is an interesting song because it has parts that sound like a drinking song

[@andresblues369]

Someone knows what is the song that sounds in the phonograph in the bar at the John Wilkes Boot's Cult? The building where you encounter the first crowman.

[@vapor-sings]

Wake up and smell the ashes.

[@SilenceCanMock]

We are all wounded at Wounded Knee

[@IAssassinII]

Fortunate Son - CCR. They did an old style cover of it.

[@johntate4185]

Anybody else remember it in The Good The Bad & The Ugly?

[@alpotenciano5891]

I can hardly understand what they are saying, But I certainly like the way this song goes

[@alexc7857]

ha ra Ha Ra HA RAAAA

[@ZeMalta]

Where can I download this?I just find an orchestral version when I search about The Bonnie Blue Flag (1861) by Harry McCarthy

[@plague_doctor1746]

Search " The bonnie blue flag - bioshok infinete "

[@dextergrif]

Uh oh, comments on this one are a treat

[@olekcholewa8171]

They are perfect. Not sure what you mean.

[@IAssassinII]

Well, to clarify, the team of BioShock had got someone to sing it like that. Haha, CCR didn't do the cover they made the original.

[@evannlorman7926]

Lol trophy hunting run through rn took cover behind a radio playing the song stood the whole firefight till it was over

[@Mirinovic]

It is played in front entrenc to Halls of heroes

[@PrincessTwilightdash]

Mirinovic yeah when your getting snipped

[@hartshornguy]

amen General.

[@numbersevenforthewin]

This song was recorded 2 centuries ago...

[@Gamrx0]

Hoorah hoorah we rally around the Bonnie blue flag

[@Jabalor]

can you upload the "somewhere beyond the sea" cover at the end of the game?

[@69Bluntsmoka420]

I don't understand why it it was good and just for the 13 colonies to rebel against the British but it was wicked and unjust for the South to rebel against a government that was hostile to their interests. I love the irony of someone from Massachusetts condemning rebellion and secession.

[@DavidSmith-sp2td]

The South wanted to keep their slaves during a time where it became increasingly objectionable. Fighting to preserve the ability subjugate another people is tyranny in and of itself.

[@Dom_510]

David Smith except that’s not what it was about. They were fighting unfair protectionist tariffs.

[@TheCynicalJew]

Not one of those "Johny Rebs", but I have to say, they knew how to rock.

[@AidCore]

It plays in the Hall of heroes. Near the statue which painted like Joker from Nolan's film.

[@TheAwesomeDude77]

Hurrah, Hurra'd, will Hurrah.

[@Rivercane22]

That's because it plays to the same tune as a drinking song (The Irish Jaunting Car).

[@XM8mountainman]

aha this was the song ive been looking for cheers

[@Rick5122.]

Maybe, this song - Columbian national anthem

[@Rivercane22]

Continued: In fact, my own state of Oregon made it a part of her State Constitution for it to be illegal for blacks to even immigrate into Oregon. Alexis de Tocqueville noted in Democracy in America "[R]ace prejudice seems stronger in those states that have abolished slavery than in those where it still exists, and nowhere is it more intolerant than in those states where slavery was never known."

[@Kintobor29]

Pol Miller, look him up. fascinating artist and Civil War vet.

[@TheBOIpro]

I understand this song is technically in support of slavery, but them Hurrahs. I don't know, i think this exemplifies a band of soldiers. This is what they would sing. It fits, considering where they put it in the game. Disclaimer: fuck slavery

[@TheBOIpro]

Also, while it is important that those southern soldiers died for what they thought was right, i wish people would understand that their cause was unconstitutional, and detrimental to what the country was made for in the first place. Not to dishonor the people, but it's all water under the bridge now.

[@Henners1991]

Did you know that the chorus singers in this recording are black?

[@justin12399]

CookiePlays They actually have a constitutional right to break away from the United States and form their own country.

[@iandavis5449]

+justin12399 no they don't. stop. the Supreme Court ruled all secession unconstitutional.

[@AFGuidesHD]

@@iandavis5449 pretty sure the declaration of independence in 1776 was unconstitutional but Unionists don't care about that do they ?

[@Otokichi786]

At last, the original "property" version! I recall hearing this on the TV 1978 miniseries "Centennial," where the ex-rebel cowboy, "Bufe Coker" was "singing to the cows" during the cattle drive from Texas to Colorado. Black cowboy "Nate Person" clarified that "Slaves were the 'property'" that Confederate troops were fighting to keep.

[@acerb4566]

From reading Jeff Davis's letters and speeches it seems slavery was part of it but there appeares to be alot of other stuff that is overshadowed by the slavery issue. Davis makes comments on "Northern domination" of the south. This was in 1846/48.

[@humansvd3269]

The Northern states were passing laws at the expense of the South. Slavery was a dying practice and the abolition movements were growing in the south, but the North didn't give two shits about slaves. It was to prevent the South from leaving the Union, which was voluntary from the start.