Reply #28: Star-Spangled is mangled

[Hekate]

The range is impossible for most people to sing, the words are hokey, and it doesn't really speak to the best in us as a nation. It was not even selected as the national anthem until far into the 20th century, I believe. Finally, in one of our nation's darkest hours, on Sept. 11, 2001, citizens everywhere sang anything but that. Senators and Representatives gathered on the steps of the Capitol and sang "God Bless America" through their tears, but not "The Star Spangled Banner."

"America the Beautiful" is easy to sing, easy to memorize (I still remember most of the verses from when I was a grade-schooler), has dignified words and sentiments, and the "God" in it is what historians all along have called our "civic religion" -- kind of vague and overarching, what Jefferson and Washington referred to as "providence" or even "divine providence" -- nothing too specific, so the hearer can easily imagine that this is his or her own god we are singing about.(To my atheist friends: rest easy on this one, okay?)

"This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie is fun and folky. I'd go for that over "The Star Spangled Banner" any day.

I just noticed this is my 500th post.

Hang in there all you DUers. Yours for better days,
Hekate

"Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war." ~Donald Rumsfeld

"But why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many,
what day it's going to happen, and how many this or what do you
suppose? Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my
beautiful mind on something like that?" ~Barbara Bush

"I guess the 'nation's grandma' isn't the grandma of those her son sends into harm's way." ~Hekate

ARLINGTON WEST, SANTA BARBARA CALIF.
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Default.htm
click on the large photo of AW to go here:
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Arlington_west_121003.htm
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