In 1847 Brigham Young led the first company of Mormon pioneers into what became Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Great Basin area became steadily populated by Latter-day Saints.
[1]: xv The traditional folk ballad played an important role in the lives of Mormon pioneers and early settlers.
[5]: 120 Given that many early Mormon converts came from different countries and spoke different languages, music became a way of sharing and preserving one's cultural heritage, as well as a means of communication with others.
Folk music at the time typically had themes of love, courtship, and crime, along with the courage, lighthearted nature, and hopefulness of the pioneers.
[7]: 7 Also conveyed in the music is the pioneers' love for their newfound mountain home, which allowed them to build a community safe from persecution.
[4]: 4–5 [5]: 120 Members of the LDS Church today still sing a modified version of the "Handcart Song, set to the tune "The King of the Cannibal Islands.
[7]: 23 Other songs convey church teachings and values, such as prayer, familial love, Christian faith and brotherhood, the preaching of the gospel to others, revelation from God, and the joy of worship.
[1]: xvii [4]: 84–86 "Doo Dah Mormon Song" (chorus) Then let us be on hand By Brigham Young to stand, And if our enemies do appear, We'll sweep them from the land.