THE DANCE. A ballad to the tune of “Yankey Doodle.”

This song satirizes the surrender of the British to the combined American and French forces at Yorktown in 1781. This event concluded the fighting of the American Revolution. No one knows who cleverly wrote these words, comparing the honors of the battlefield to that of the dance floor. Lafayette is named in verse three, as are the important generals Cornwallis and Washington.

These verses are rich in interpretive references and is a perfect example of the use of the melody “Yankee Doodle” to make fun of someone.