Despite much research and various educated hypotheses on the country of origin, the Yankee Doodle tune remains a mystery. By some accounts, it is thought to be a derivation of the Old English nursery rhyme Lucy Locket. Still, the actual Yankee Doodle tune is a catchy piece of music, and about 190 verses have been written throughout history.
In 1755, British Army surgeon Richard Schuckburg allegedly wrote lyrics as an insult from an organized British military that looked down on the ragtag American rebels. Both groups fought on the same side during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), but by the time the Revolutionary War began, the song was so popular with the redcoats that they supposedly sang it as they marched into what would be the battle of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775).
Interestingly, before the end of the war Americans had turned the insult around. Every time they defeated the British in a battle, they would sing the tune, thus rubbing the victory in their enemy’s faces. By the time the British surrendered at Yorktown (October 19, 1781), calling someone a “Yankee Doodle” was no longer an insult, but a source of pride.
Let’s break down the current version.
Yankee Doodle went to London,
Riding on a pony,
At the time, “Yankee” was a term of contempt, and “Doodle” was probably taken from the German word dödel, which means “fool.” As for riding a pony, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but in the 1700s a pony was probably not seen as noble of a steed as a horse.
Stuck a feather in his cap,
And called it macaroni.
“Macaroni” was another derogatory term referring to a young man who would travel to other parts of Europe (mostly Italy and France), then adopt the cutting-edge fashion and affect the pretentious speech. Many considered this foppish and unnecessary. The part about the feather seems to focus on the lad’s miniscule efforts in trying pass himself off as a member of elite European society.
Yankee Doodle keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy,
These lines continue the insult. “Dandy” is much like “Macaroni” above.
Mind the music and the step,
And with the girls be handy.
This seems to be the only positive part of the song. The general PG-rated interpretation is that our lad should dance well and be a gentleman at all times. I found other online guesses about the last line, some of which alluded to the idea that he should also be able to, um, satisfy the ladies.
Plenty of sources exist, but you can learn more about Yankee Doodle at StraightDope.com, About.com, and USHistory.org.
What other interpretations have you seen?
How about changes in the lyrics?