Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 13 - 01:07 AM

Well, Jesus Freak, I'm here to happily tell you that it isn't YOUR god that most of the founding father's may have acknowledged, the over-arching busy-body who dictates how people should live and governments should be run (despite the church and state division that they mandated, partly to keep those over-zealous Puritans in line). The kind of over-zealous Baptist or Church of Christ religion you're spouting on about wasn't around in the same way it is now. Many of the Founding Fathers were at Deists, a mild form of christianity.

SRS

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jul 13 - 12:23 AM

That being said, you might want to Click here to see what the Library of Congress has to say about the song. I sang it at a nursing home this evening, and it was so nice to hear the audience sing along.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Chord Req: God Bless America
From: GUEST,JesusFreak
Date: 03 Jul 13 - 11:57 PM

I hope all you America-hating hippies are now old enough to have children who grew up to work on Wall Street, make obscene amounts of money, live in mansions, drive expensive gas-guzzling SUV's, attend church every Sunday, and sing "God Bless America" with fervor every 4th of July.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: GUEST,JesusFreak
Date: 03 Jul 13 - 11:41 PM

"Freely you have received; freely give." Because some patriotic fool might be looking for a free and Berlin-ish chord chart (everything free on the web is too watered-down), here is a link to my personal transcription of God Bless America: http://db.tt/A71ZgzBX

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: GUEST,JesusFreak
Date: 03 Jul 13 - 12:17 PM

So this thread is QUITE old but still shows up on a search for the song. I'll just say this up front - I'm a Christian. As such, I am proud of what our largely Christian founding fathers came up with as a nation. In very short order, we became the most powerful, wealthy and influencial nation on the planet. A disproportionate number of founders as well as the "great" presidents were Christians (e.g. Washington, Lincoln, etc). Even the Supreme Court declared America to be "a Christian nation" in 1892. Here is one piece of American history Spaw and other God Bless America dissenters should read:

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faith have been afforded asylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here." ~Patrick Henry

People of other religious persuasions (atheism is a religion, too), should thank your god(s) for the life and Truth of Jesus Christ; His followers ushered this great country into existence by the mighty hand of God; crafted our Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights from the Bible and God-given wisdom; and subsequent generations of Christians have worked to keep America's "favored nation" status in the eyes of God.

If you dislike America's Christian heritage so bitterly, go live in Haiti or Mexico - it's right next door.

Subject: Lyr Add: God Bless Free Enterprise
From: Mark Clark
Date: 22 May 04 - 12:11 PM

Here are the lyrics I sing to that melody. Vocal should be over the top with rolled Rs and the whole bit. I learned this from Dwight Saunders of Des Moines, Iowa, in 1961.

      - Mark

God Bless Free Enterprise

God bless free enterprise, system divine,
Stand beside her and guide her,
Just as long as the profits are mine.
Dear old Wall Street, may she prosper,
Corporations, may they grow,
God bless free enterprise, the status quo...oh,
God bless free enterprise, the status quo.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: 'God Bless America'
From: C-flat
Date: 22 May 04 - 04:45 AM

Sorry Doug.
Having just posted in defence of asking for chords on another thread, I felt obliged to assist.
It's still early here in the UK and I haven't quite woke up yet!
C-flat.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: 'God Bless America'
From: darkriver
Date: 22 May 04 - 03:23 AM

C-flat,

thanks. That was awfully sweet of you.

But I was trying to be a contenduh in the shortest thread contest....

It's pretty hard to come up with a title EVERYONE will overlook.
"Polka Concert in Belgium" was a stroke of genius.

downcast Doug

Subject: RE: Chord Req: 'God Bless America'
From: C-flat
Date: 22 May 04 - 02:56 AM

Here you go!


C-flat.

Subject: Chord Req: 'God Bless America'
From: darkriver
Date: 22 May 04 - 02:44 AM

I'm channeling Kate Smith right now....

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: GUEST,Genie
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 04:17 AM

Sorcha and Catspaw

Now you've got me curious. I'm usually the one who knows all the verses to old songs when most people know only the chorus. I actually did not know there were more than one or maybe two verses, and I only know th first verse and chorus.
Sorcha, are you willing to post the other verses, just for the sake of history?

BTW,

There is an earlier thread about this song, with more historical details and comment by Joe Offer. (Also, another catter mentions being pretty sure there are no more verses.)
I don't know how to to clickies but here's the reference:

Subject: lyrics/music : God Bless America

From: Dale Rose

Date: 21-Aug-97 - 11:02 AM

When Kate Smith introduced "God Bless America," it became such an instant and widespread hit that there was even an initiative in Congress to make it the national anthem. Apparently, it might well have got through Congress, if Irving Berlin had not nixed the idea, saying that we already had one and we should not be changing it.
Perhaps it was the fact that everybody and his/her brother/sister was singing the song all the time that made Woody Guthrie dislike it so much.

Genie

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:57 AM

Yea, the other verses are not quite so cool........agree there.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: catspaw49
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:48 AM

I won't argue Sorch...I luvya.....I guess it gets me because right off, in the first line, it reads OK....but I've always had the feeling it meant God Bless America and to hell with everybody else......I know that's not what it says, but that's always how it feels to me.

I think it gets worse in the other verses too, but it just gives me a generally bad taste.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:40 AM

Thank you Genie. "America the Beautiful" is another I can't ever get through without tears, for many of the same reasons. I live in the "purple mountain majesties" and grew up on the "fruited plains". Some songs just do me in........and thanks for the notes on Irving Berlin. Good info, there.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:19 AM

Well said, Sorcha.
This is a song of appreciation for the privilege of living in a land of geographic beauty and freedom, written by a Russian Jewish immigrant who had something to contrast with life in the USA.
He also wrote it during World War I, not long after he became a US citizen, although he was talked out of publishing it then and put it away until about 1938. He then changed one or two lines, and Kate Smith introduced it on Armistice Day of that year. I have no doubt that he was more aware of what Hitler was up to than the average American was in 1938.

Woody's song was a valid protest, in a way, because so many people were economically disposessed during the dust bowl days, but Woody also wrote anti-Fascist, anti-Hitler songs.
Nevertheless, Berlin's song is not comparable to "Deutschland Über Alles," and does not call upon God to bless America more than other lands, nor does it claim that America has no faults.

Genie

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 06:32 PM

Some of you/us apparently have some problems with "God Bless America". I don't, and I would like to explain my "take" on the song. I don't want to start any arguments, just an intelligent discussion, OK? To do that, I am going to go through the song, line by line, and what I personally feel about it.

"God bless America, land that I love"
I know that some are complete atheists, but most of us have a Higher Power, regardless of what Name we call it………God works as well as any. It does not have to be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or any of the other "organized" religions of the world. The word "god" to me is non gender specific, and non specific as well. It means whatever each of us wants it to mean.

Yes, I love this land. I was born here. I love other lands too. I am hardly a "right or wrong/love it or leave it" person. I wholeheartedly agree that there are many, many places which are good to live in, but this is land is MY land. Not Canada, not Australia, etc. Of course I love it.

"Stand beside her, and guide her"
Don't we all need someone to stand beside us and guide us? Why should a country be any different? Country as female image----we do have Lady Liberty in the New York harbor; another example is "Mother Russia". Many peoples consider their country in a female light.

"Through the night with a light from above"
I am pretty sure we are all agreed that we are in "the night" right now. A light from above would be helpful, no matter what you call the light……..

"From the mountains, to the prairies,
to the oceans white with foam….."
Such beautiful imagery….it captures my country quite well, I think.

"God bless America, my home sweet home"
See note above about "god"………yes, this is my home.

I have never interpreted this song to mean that America was more deserving of any gods' attention than any other country. All countries are deserving of a benevolent protector……if you just can't stand the "America" part, substitute something else, like
" My planet", "Terra Firma", "My Gaia", etc………..If you can't handle "God bless" try something like "Save". The melody is just too beautiful to throw away.

Thank you for allowing me to rant. Rant over.

Respectfully,
Sorcha

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: late 'n short 2
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 02:13 PM

Here they are.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 10:48 AM

Why not suggest singing Woody's response to this jingoistic piece instead? "This Land Is Your Land" makes a better statement, especially if you throw in all of the verses. Yeah, I know.....but I just hate this idea of feeding our kids on unthinking, patriotic, fervor. Sorry, I just had to say it.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: God Bless America
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 10:41 AM

Available here

Subject: God Bless America
From: GUEST,Hummingbird
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 09:16 AM

Dear MudCatters, I have been asked by my schools music teacher to assist with singing God Bless AMerica tomorrow at an assembly, with my guitar in hand. Does anyone have the chords and lyrics. (I do know the words, but don't have the time to sit down and figure out the chords, even though I know they are probably fairly simple. Can anyone post this for me. I would be very grateful.

thank you, hummingbird.

Subject: God Bless America
From:
Date: 17 Feb 99 - 01:01 PM

Help! Need words and chords to God Bless America (yes, the Kate Smith trademark). What are the chords, somebody!