I called on on the 4th of July from the emergency room, which is why I couldn't always listen nor could I sing. My back didn't just go out, it took my left leg with it. Anyway, if I *coulda* sung, here's what I woulda sung. One of my favorite I Love America songs, set to a haunting melody, and sweetened by the immigrant's point of view. Also, the one line that just spoke to me, dans ma douleur. Not sure whose version this is, from my folks' records:

When I first came to this land, I was not a wealthy man
So I got myself a shack, and I did what I could.
And I called my shack “Break My Back.”
But the land was sweet and good and I did what I could.

[Each verse repeats this form, with a different acquisition and nickname]

...cow...No Milk Now
...wife... Run For Your Life
...son ...My Work's Done

But the land was sweet and good, and I did what I could.