‘It suits for feasts, it suits for fun,
And just as well for fighting.’
It exists now as an instrumental and not as a vocal performance. Its words are never heard, and, I think would not be acceptable in either public or private American entertainments.”
Sir George Grove, in his Dictionary of Music and Musicians, (Macmillan, London), fully examines the various theories as to the origin of this song. He inclines to the opinion that the words were written by Dr. Schuckburgh about 1755, with the title “The Yankee’s Return from Camp.” The tune was printed in 1784 in an opera by Arnold, entitled “Two to one,” where it is first properly styled Yankee Doodle.
There has been much discussion as to the derivation of the word Yankee, one theory being that it is the Indian way of pronouncing English. The Indians cannot sound the letter l, so they lengthen and soften the vowels. Hence the more advanced among them only manage to pronounce English as Eengeesh, while a more common sound would be Angees, or Ankees. Possibly the Indians were more familiar with the French form Anglais. A writer in Notes and Queries stated the above fact, citing Hutchinson’s “History of Massachusetts” as an authority; he added “Doodle is surely only an imitation of the crowing of a cock.” The meaning, if any, of Yankee Doodle is “New Englanders, be on the alert,” or “show your spirit.” Another writer quotes a derivation suggested by Thierry, that the word Yankee arose from the collision and jeerings of the Dutch and English in New York and New England, and that it is from the Dutch Jan—pronounced Yan—John, with the common diminutive kee, and doodlen, to quaver; which would make the whole into “quavering or psalm-singing Jacky or Johnny.”
Whatever may have been the origin of the term, it is only correctly applied to New Englanders, and not to the inhabitants of the other states.
Yankee Boy is trim and tall,
And never over fat, Sir,
At dance or frolic, hop or ball,
As nimble as a rat, Sir.