Monday, July 4, 2011
Independence Day
One of my hobbies is music and songwriting. I wrote this last year for Independence Day.
(See below for notes on the music.)
The king's men
Have betrayed us
Tricked us out of
Our homes
No one else
Gonna save us
We must stand up
On our own
Divided
We've been conquered
For too long
We've played their game
United
We'd be invincible
So rise up
And shake off our chains
We've been fooled
By the banker
The sheriff
And the priest
We've been ruled
By the con man
The scoundrel
And the thief
Divided
We've been conquered
For too long
We've played their game
United
We'd be invincible
So rise up
And shake off our chains
Feel
The power
Streaming out
Through our souls [Note: if you're an atheist, think of it as our source of courage, or just change the last word to "soles"]
Now's
The hour
Come together
And let's roll
Here we are
In the meadow
It is time to
Decide
From afar
The army's nearing
Are we slaves or
Will we fight?
Divided
We've been conquered
For too long
We've played their game
United
We'd be invincible
So rise up
And shake off our chains
Feel
The power
Streaming out
Through our souls
Now's
The hour
Come together
And let's roll
Notes on the music: The drums are similar to U2's "Bloody Sunday", the guitar similar to U2 in some parts and the main riff from Little Steven's "Freedom" in other parts, and there are elements of Simple Minds' "Sanctify Yourself" or "Don't You Forget About Me" and - I know, I know - Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love".
Words and music Copyright © 2010-2011 George Washington.
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Thank you, GW. From Percy Shelley:
ReplyDelete'Ye who suffer woes untold,
Or to feel, or to behold
Your lost country bought and sold
With a price of blood and gold -
'Let a vast assembly be,
And with great solemnity
Declare with measured words that ye
Are, as God has made ye, free -
'And these words shall then become
Like Oppression's thundered doom
Ringing through each heart and brain,
Heard again - again - again -
'Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number -
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you -
Ye are many - they are few.'
Hmmm
ReplyDeleteI don't buy the misty-eyed, hand on heart 'patriotism of our glorious founding fathers' crap. Let's face it - and to paraphrase the late great George Carlin - America is a nation founded by slave owners who wanted to be free. A bit of honesty about its real origins and what it did to maybe 20 odd million of its indigenous population (savages was the term used wasn't it?) might provide some hope of escape from a hideously aggressive past that as yet shows no sign of improving with age.
you are my fav blog keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteThere is a great book out there that would go well with this musick (provide your own staves): "The First American Revolution (before Lexington and Concord)" by Ray Raphael.
ReplyDeleteI love the words! put it on YouTube!
ReplyDelete