Lyr Req: Homeland (I Want My Country Back) (Brown)

Subject: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 03:54 PM

I recently heard Greg Brown sing a song in Fall River at the Narrow Center for the Arts with the refrain something like "I don't feel at home in my country anymore." It was an extremely affecting and un-preaching lament. I have a feeling it wasn't one of his own songs...Does anyone have any clue what song I'm talking about?

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 03:59 PM

Here's his official lyrics site. There's one called Heart of My Country which sounds similar, but not exact. I didn't look through all of them, so the one you are looking for might be there.

kat

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 05:10 PM

Hmmm. I wonder if it's a variation on Woody Guthrie's I Ain't Got No Home in this World Any More.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: open mike
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 12:42 AM

the greg brown song to which you refer is:
submitted to the greg brown list
[e-mail]

Subject: "I want my country" back lyrics


Here is what I get from the recording I made at The Mill


The Mill 2-27-03


I want my country back
and a good dream to stand up for
oh, you know these days well I don't feel at home here anymore


Big big flag above the big big mall
oh, well you know these days oh I don't feel at home here anymore


Homeland of Sojourner Truth and Chief Joseph before
and the quiet words of wisdom are drowned out by TV
and I don't feel at home here anymore


Blind engineer more on the train
oh and we want to feel at home here once more


I want my country back
and a good dream to stand up for


Got my hand over my heart
oh but I don't feel at home here anymore


I want my country back
**************************************
It is definately a song by Greg
in response to the current situation..

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: open mike
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 12:47 AM

further: gleaned from a post on the greg site;
.......It is a thought-provoking, powerful,
heartfelt song (as opposed to 90% of the top 40
antiwar crap that's being vomited out of studios from
NY to LA. And the UK, if you want to count Madonna
and George
Michael)......
See that's just what I was thinking about last night.
I was at a candlelight vigil, which was actually
supposed to be a silent vigil, but a few people kept
trying to get some singing action going, the usual
stuff, like Let There be Peace on Earth, Wonderful
World and all sorts of other gushy, sentimental songs,
and I kept thinking it's no wonder people keep
thinking war is noble and all that. War mongers have
all the great songs. What we need are some good
virile, hairy-chested peace songs, that people can
sing without feeling whoosey (is that how you spell
it? Not a word I've ever written before...) So
perhaps "I Want My Country Back" is a start......

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 01:49 AM

Open Mike - any relation at all to the Woody Guthrie/Carter Family song? You'll find the Guthrie song here (click). I think I could fit Greg Brown's lyrics to the tune.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: open mike
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 02:05 AM

I have not heard the tune, only seem the lyrics which were transcribed
by a listener who heard him perform at a show with Odetta recently. It
is possible that the tune is similar..after all there are only 8 notes
in each scale, so some are bound to occur numerous times. that's all i know...

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 03:07 AM

There sure is a neat interview of him on this page. Quite a guy!

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: BlueJay
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 03:44 AM

Kat- Thanks for the Greg Brown site. Solved a lyrics mystery for me. BlueJay

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: open mike
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 12:14 PM

Ha Ha-i just got a message that i was the winner of the
Club Passim auction...the prize is to get Greg to record
an answering machine message for my house...so if you
ever call you might get to hear him first! here is his
web site... go to Hackelbarney

Subject: RE: Greg Brown song/cover?
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 12:55 PM

Very kewl, o.m.!!

You're welcome, BlueJay!

Subject: Lyr Add: HOMELAND (I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK) (Brown)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 Dec 05 - 06:38 PM

Lyrics copied from http://www.gregbrown.org/gblyricsmisc.html

HOMELAND (I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK)
Copyright © 2003 Greg Brown and Hacklebarney Music

I want my country back and a good dream to stand up for.
Got my hand over my heart, but I don't feel at home here anymore

Big, big flag above the big, big mall, and the shake rattle and roll to the core.
Things sprawl after they fall, and I don't feel at home here anymore.

Homeland of Sojourner Truth and Chief Joseph before
Many quiet words of wisdom drowned out by TV and I don't feel at home here anymore.

Blind engineer, war train on the track, many, many a heart is sore.
We want our country back. We want to feel at home here once more.

I want my country back.

[From "The Best of Live from Studio One" (KUNI), 2003.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homeland (I Want My Country Back) (Brown)
From: Genie
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 11:32 AM

Good song!

Here's a very country-sounding song that makes some of the same points:
I'm Taking My Country Back (David Kent)