Lyr Req/Add: Brother, Sing Your Country's Anthem

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Brother sing your country's anthem
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jul 11 - 01:50 AM

I'm the MC and director at a series of eight "Fourth of July Caroling" sessions my Catholic parish is doing at nursing homes in our area. Most of the songs are American patriotic standards like "American the Beautiful," "God Bless America," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "You're a Grand Old Flag," and the official songs of the four branches of military service. We also sing "This Land Is Your Land," but without the "Communist" verses. When I took over this year, I decided to read the "relief office" verse of "This Land," and I added "Song of Peace (Finlandia)," which is my favorite patriotic song.

I really like "Brother Sing Your Country's Anthem" and I'm tempted to add it, but I wonder if I can get away with it. I'm in redneck territory here, one of the most politically conservative counties in California. It's a place where I always have to watch what I say and who I say it to, or there can be repercussions. I suspect I lost my job at the Catholic Church for being "too liberal," but the pastor won't give me details of why he let me go.

Now, I suppose some of you might say that I need to speak the truth forcefully and damn the consequences, but I've found that I can lead conservative people to a gentler perspective if I'm polite and understanding.

So, what about this song? Can I get away singing it in a conservative area, or will I be tarred and feathered and run out on a rail?

-Joe-

Subject: ADD: Brother, Sing Your Country's Anthem
From: GUEST,Grace Buzik
Date: 07 Jul 11 - 11:25 PM

BROTHER SING YOUR COUNTRY'S ANTHEM
as sung by Paul Robeson (circa 1939)

Brother sing your country's anthem
Shout your land's undying fame
Light a wonderous tale of nations
Heed your people's golden name

Tell your father's noble story
Raise, on high, your country's sign
Join, then, in the final glory
Brother lift your flag with mine

Hail the sun of peace new-rising
Hold the war clouds close a'furled
Blend of banners, Oh my brothers
In the rainbow of the world

Red as blood and blue as heaven
Wise as age, and proud as youth
Native banner wonder-woven
In the one great light of truth

Build the rule of peace before us
Build it wide, and deep, and long
Speed the slow and check the eager
Help the weak and curb the strong

None shall push aside another
None shall let another fall
March beside me, oh, my brothers
All for one, and one for all

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Pete Seeger's Ode to Joy (Don West)
From: Cstargazy
Date: 14 Feb 11 - 07:32 PM

Thank you so much everyone

Subject: ADD: Hymn for Nations (Josephine Bacon/Don West)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 02:53 PM

I don't know if it's possible to find a definitive or original version of these lyrics. It's a peace song, and peace people generally seem to keep changing things to keep up with the latest standards of Political Correctness. This is the earliest version I can find.

HYMN FOR NATIONS
(Words by Josephine Bacon, third verse by Don West)
(tune: Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy')

Brother shout your country's anthem,
Sing your land's undying fame,
Light the wondrous tale of nations
With your people's golden name;
    Tell your father's noble story,
    Raise on high your country's sign.
Join then in the final glory,
Brother lift your flag with mine.

Hail the sun of peace, now rising,
Hold the war clouds ever furled;
Blend your banners, O my brother,
In the rainbow of the world!
    Red as blood and blue as heaven
    Wise as age and proud as youth
Melt your colors, wonder woven,
In the great white light of truth.

Build the road of peace before us,
Build it wide and deep and long;
Speed the slow, remind the eager,
Help the weak and guide the strong.
    None shall push aside another,
    None shall let another fall,
Work beside me, O my brother,
All for one and one for all.

m: Ode to Joy;
w. Josephine Daskam Bacon, 3rd v. Don West.

Source: Songs for Peace, compiled and edited by the Student Peace Union. Oak Publications, 1966 (page 99).

This version is also in Folksinger's Wordbook, by Fred & Irwin Silber (Oak Publications, 1973), page 338.

---

Can anybody find an earlier version? I'm guessing that "curb the strong" is Don West's original wording, and it isn't in this transcription.

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Pete Seeger's Ode to Joy (Don West)
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 01:58 PM

pdq, it was not known to me about Don West, so I thank you for pointing that out.

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Pete Seeger's Ode to Joy (Don West)
From: pdq
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 12:28 PM

If it probably common knowledge among Mudcatters but Don West was the father of Hedy West who posted occasionally on Mudcat.

Subject: ADD: Ode to Workers (NY City Labor Chorus)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 12:23 PM

The New York City Labor Chorus has a different version:

ODE TO WORKERS (New York City Labor Chorus)
[first verse by chorus member Jeff Vogel]

Workers sing your union anthem cross the land and o'er the Earth,
Tell the story of the battles that led to our glorious birth.
Robber barons, Wall Street tyrants, gathering wealth is all they know,
Come together, join our forces, and defeat our greedy foe.

Hail the sun of peace new rising, hold the war clouds close afurled,
Blend our banners oh my people in the rainbow of the world.
Red as blood and blue as heaven, wise as age and proud as youth,
Meld our banners wonder woven, in the one great light of truth.

Build the road of peace before us, build it wide and deep and long.
Speed the slow and check the eager, help the weak and curb the strong.
None shall push aside another, none shall let another fall,
March beside me, oh my people, all for one and one for all.

Subject: ADD: Hymn for Nations (Josephine Bacon/Don West)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 12:19 PM

I found complete lyrics at http://saswat.com/doc/song/Hymn%20for%20Nations.htm
I question the accuracy of some of the lyrics, and I have posted what I consider to be a better version (from Oak Publications) below.

Hymn for Nations Brother, sister, sing your anthem Shout your land's undying fame Light the wondrous tale of nations With your people's golden name Tell your parent's noble story Raise on high your county's sign Join, then, in a final glory People lift you flag with mine! Hail the sun of peace, new rising Hold the war clouds closer furled Blend our banners, o my people In the rainbow of the world Red a blood and blue as heaven Wise with age & proud of youth Melt our colors, wonder woven In the great bright light of truth! Build the road of peace before us Build it wide & deep & long Speed the slow & check the eager Help the weak & curb the strong None shall push aside another None shall let another fall March beside me, o my comrades All for one & one for all.  m: Ode to Joy; w. Josephine Bacon, 3rd v. Don West.

Subject: ADD: Pete Seeger's Ode to Joy (Don West)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 12:09 PM

Pete's recording is one verse of the lyrics posted in this message:

ODE TO JOY (last four measures)
(Don West, as sung by Pete Seeger)

Build the road of peace before us
Build it wide and deep and long;
Speed the slow, remind the eager
Help the weak and guide the strong.

None shall push aside another
None shall let another fall.
Joy! Joy! Sisters and brothers
All for one and one for all.


alternates for the second-last line:
• March beside me, Oh my Brother
  
• Work beside me, O my brother


Source: Where Have All the Flowers Gone? A Singalong Memoir by Pete Seeger.

Seeger says that Don West, longtime Appalachian radical, wrote three English verses for the song, and Pete and a chorus recorded one of West's verses on the 1996 CD titled Pete.

---

In this wonderful YouTube recording, Paul Robeson (1898-1976) used the following lyrics (after the German lyrics by Schiller). I was unable to find the date of the recording.

Build the road of peace before us
Build it wide and deep and long
Speed the slow and check the eager
Help the weak and curb the strong
None shall push aside another
None shall let another fall
March beside me, O my brothers
All for one and one for all.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pete Seeger's Ode to Joy
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 11:18 AM

Here ya go, Cstargazy. You can have the double pleasure of listening and transcribing at the same time. I had only heard him play this on The Goofing Off Suite, but this is really moving.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HOIyqXIc8Q

Subject: Lyr Req: Pete Seeger's Ode to Joy
From: Cstargazy
Date: 13 Oct 10 - 07:18 PM

I'd love to get the Lyrics for this.