Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there -
That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming
Ev'rywhere.
So prepare, say a pray'r,
Send the word, send the word to beware.
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over
Over there.
To all you Yanks on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan: Thanks for being our Yankee Doodle Dandies.
Don't listen to the naysayers . . .they've been around for years. They are the cowards who preached isolationism in the First and Second World Wars. They are the wimps who pulled us out of Viet Nam and left the South to the plunder, murders and tyranny that followed. Don't listen to the voices of the Durbins, defeatists and quitters, pushovers, weaklings and snakes, sneaks and dastardly sissies.
Ben Franklin knew them well. He said, 1759 in his Historical Review of Pennsylvania, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Unfortunately we seem to be stuck with them. The worst of them even run for President. (That says a LOT about what you're fighting for, by the way.)
But most of your fellow Americans learned those lessons from history and we will stay with you to the end.
Listen to the history of love of freedom and this nation, expressed in some of our favorite 4th of July songs. Listen to those of us who take great pride in you and the sacrifices you're making not only to keep your homeland free from terror but to build a new nation of freedom and liberty in the midst of oppression.
These are voices of support and liberty that echo through our hearts today; voices from the past. . .
George M. Cohan was born July 3, 1878 but he always thought of his birthday as July 4. He was a famous songwriter, playwrite and producer, best known for his patriotic shows and songs during the First World War. He wrote, performed and produced the quintessential patriotic song, "Yankee Doodle Boy" or "I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy."
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy,
A Yankee Doodle, do or die;
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam's,
Born on the Fourth of July.
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart,
She's my Yankee Doodle joy.
Yankee Doodle came to London,
Just to ride the ponies;
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy.
Another Cohan favorite, "It's a Grand Old Flag:"
You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.
You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.
As our leaders have neglected to involve us in winning the wars we've found ourselves in, the songs have diminished but there's one "modern" song worthy of mention here: "I'm Proud To Be An American," written by Lee Greenwood. Greenwood was born in 1942, the year Cohan died.
If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.
And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.
That I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
And I'm proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
And one more for you dear Troops; this one by the incomparable Meredith Wilson:
May the good Lord bless and keep you, whether near or far away.
May you find that long-awaited golden day today.
May your troubles all be small ones, and your fortune ten times ten.
May the good Lord bless and keep you 'til we meet again.
May you walk with sunlight shining and a bluebird in ev'ry tree.
May there be a silver lining back of ev'ry cloud you see.
Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrow. Never mind what might have been.
May the good Lord bless and keep you 'til we meet again.
May the good Lord bless and keep you 'til we meet ('til we meet),
'Til we meet ('til we meet) again.
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