Listen to the music behind any flag festooned 4th of July car dealership commercial. The song has a definite patriotic bent now.
We were never taught the actual meaning of the lyrics in school, but we did learn the song.
Reading through the lyrics it seems oddly awestruck by the state of the continental army. Men were thick as Hasty Pudding, eating enormous quantities of food, and the talk of Captain Washington makes him sound loved by the men. It should be noted however that the dandy in the song sees the massive graves being dug and runs back home in the end.
If it's supposed to be an insulting song it doesn't land very hard, at least to modern ears. The only one insulted is the titular dandy who is clearly not man enough to die for his country.
I would suspect this is a regional difference. I live in a different area that I was reared and we often have fun comparing the differences. like pop vs. Soda
today treated as a patriotic anthem
Not in the america I grew up in. It has simple lyrics, a familiar tune and easy to instruct children to learn and play an instrument to