new verse: America, the Beautiful

Subject: America, the Beautiful
From: GUEST,Jeanene
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 01:47 AM

New verse for America The Beautiful.

Oh, beautiful, for stern resolve to fight for liberty,
For those who give the last full ounce of their humanity.

America, America! May you always be
A land for those who've loved and chosen peace and harmony!

New verse by Jeanene Pratt ©2001 [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: America, the Beautiful
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 01:52 AM

Huh? You coprighted a new verse to a public domain song? Nah-ah...

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: America, the Beautiful
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 02:01 AM

Lepus,
I don't know the ins and outs of copyright law. (You probably do.) My point is to acknowledge the authorship of the new lyrics--not the ones that overlap with the public domain song or their match to the tune. As with other songs posted in Mudcat, the aim is to prevent the eventuality of someone else claiming copyright to one's own words and potentially preventing one from even using them. It has happened before.

The intent is by no means to 'steal' something in the public domain.

Jeanene

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: America, the Beautiful
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 02:03 AM

Oh, I was just kidding. I was just pointing out that it wasn't really copyrighted. :)

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: America, the Beautiful
From: GUEST,Jeanene
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 02:25 AM

Lepus,
Kidding accepted.

I am not concerned about people using this in non-commercial ways. In fact, I would gladly 'donate' this verse to the Public Domain Foundation if I knew how to do it.

For the record, though, I think you are wrong.
I just heard Pete Seeger's interview on PBS on Labor Day, in which he discussed just this point--namely, that people can take public domain songs and copyright arrangements and variations thereon, such as he did with "Turn, Turn, Turn," which is based on Ecclesiastes.
I have seen many a piece of copyrighted sheet music for old public domain songs, such as "Jingle Bells," "Yellow Rose of Texas," etc.

Ironically, if I am not mistaken, it is only with public domain songs that one can do this.
If you try to copyright a parody, for instance, of a recent composition, still under copyright, you may have to fight in court for the right to even do the parody. (Cf., "The Wind Done Gone.")

Anyway, all I want to do is make sure that if I decide to put this verse on a CD, I won't have to pay royalties to someone else because I failed to put the "©" on it.!

Cheers!
Jeanene

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: America, the Beautiful
From: GUEST,Genie
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 11:02 PM

There's another new verse to America, the Beautiful in another recent thread, but I can't remember which thread. It was one of the ones related to 9-11-01. It was a great verse.
Genie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: America, the Beautiful
From: GUEST,Jeanene
Date: 22 Sep 01 - 02:26 AM

I found the other new verse. It is in a thread entitled:

New Songs for 9-11-01

From: ScottyG
Date: 15-Sep-01 - 11:04 PM

Oh beautiful for fierce resolve against a cruel foe,
Those callous men with hate-filled hearts,
God's wrath they soon shall know!
America! America! The world will stand with thee,
In your brave fight for Mankind's right
To peace and liberty.

Scott also tells , in that thread, how he came to compose the verse spontaneously.

When I went back and found that thread, I realized that in writing mine, I had unconsciously 'piggybacked' on Scott's verse (in the use of the word, "resolve," for instance). Anyway, it's a good idea to add that verse to this thread, too.
J

Subject: RE: new verse: America, the Beautiful
From: Genie
Date: 23 May 19 - 01:59 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: new verse: America, the Beautiful
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Oct 19 - 06:45 PM

Nice to run across this again (serendipitiously).
Must remember it for whenever I sing “patriotic “ songs

Subject: RE: new verse: America, the Beautiful
From: RTim
Date: 28 Oct 19 - 07:14 PM

It is interesting that many Americans love "America The Beautiful" but know very little about the person who wrote the words.
Yes - they know it was written by Katharine Lee Bates - born in Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts (where I live) - but few know that she was engaged in what was known at the time as - A Boston Marriage..... historically, the cohabitation of two wealthy women, independent of financial support from a man. The term is said to have been in use in New England between the late 19th and early 20th century.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: new verse: America, the Beautiful
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Oct 19 - 07:10 AM

How does anybody manage to get past the first verse of that thing without collapsing in giggles? Even by the minimal quality standards of national anthems it's the pits.