Tide Turns Case 5

Lincoln’s Favorite Song

Abraham Lincoln loved music. He says little about it in his own writings, but people who knew him at every stage of his life recalled he frequently sought out musical performances, even if he didn’t have much musical talent himself. What’s more, they all noted Lincoln wasn’t particular or snobby in his tastes—liking whatever suited him, regardless of genre or subject matter.

According to some of Lincoln’s contemporaries, his favorite song was a slow sentimental piece called “Twenty Years Ago.” It’s easy to see why, as it describes someone returning to the place of their youth and the nostalgia they feel while observing how things have changed. Lincoln engaged with similar themes in his own writing, especially his poem “My Child-hood Home I See Again.” Famed Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg includes the song here in one of his Songbag collections of American folk tunes.

VZ S213n (oversize)

Label Audio