Time for...

NO national anthem.

Tribalism is a primitive emotional concept which long ago outlived it's usefulness and has been the basis for wars, divisivness,  emnity and hatred.

NO nations.

No flags.

Time to grow up!

by mrk * (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 299 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 8:34:13 AM
 

I second this motion

We're not supposed to be one nation anyway. Each state is a nation coming together they formed a union. So no official national anthem. Let people honor the union (or not) as they see fit.

by Darren Wolfe (7 articles, 224 quicklinks, 109 diaries, 807 comments) on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 6:30:46 AM
 

I say toss the lot,

although Katharine Lee Bates has some lovely lines in America the Beautiful, the God references "God shed his grace on thee" seems to suggest that one land, one country, one people may be more blessed than another.  I think all religious references should not be part of a national anthem - especially since it seems to only fuel divisiveness throughout the world, more so over the last few years, wouldn't you say?

Maybe with these changing times, we need to adopt a new national anthem that truly addresses the issues of a changing world and in the spirit of peace, hold firm to only lyrics of hope, understanding and compassion for all human beings, and how grateful we are as a nation and people to have been blessed with so much. 

All war references should get the boot, immediately!

Thank you for offering up those lyrics - I had forgotten just how war-mongering and violence-based many were. 

by Jan Baumgartner (54 articles, 138 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 260 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 10:12:56 AM
 

Perhaps another candidate?

If we must have a national anthem (and I believe it helps to have one), I would suggest the following.  Written by Don McLean in 1971, I think it actually encapsulates the idea of America far more realistically than any of the other candidates.

Everybody Loves Me Baby Lyrics
Artist:  Don McLean

<SPOKEN>: One, two, three, four!

Fortune has me well in hand, armies 'wait at my command
My gold lies in a foreign land buried deep beneath the sand
The angels guide my ev'ry tread, my enemies are sick or dead
But all the victories I've led haven't brought you to my bed

CHORUS:
You see, everybody loves me, baby, what's the matter with you?
Won'tcha tell me what did I do to offend you?

Now the purest race I've bred for thee to live in my democracy
And the highest human pedigree awaits the first-born boy baby
And my face on ev'ry coin engraved, the anarchists are all enslaved
My own flag is forever waved by the grateful people I have saved

CHORUS:
You see, everybody loves me, baby, what's the matter with you?
Won'tcha tell me what did I do to offend you?

Now, no land is beyond my claim when land is seized in the people's name
By evil men who rob and maim, if war is hell, I'm not to blame!
Why, you can't blame me, I'm Heaven's child, I'm the second son of Mary mild
And I'm twice removed from Oscar Wilde, but he didn't mind, why, he just smiled

Yes, and the ocean parts when I walk through, and the clouds dissolve and the sky turns blue
I'm held in very great value by everyone I meet but you
'cause I've used my talents as I could, I've done some bad, I've done some good
I did a whole lot better than they thought I would so, c'mon and treat me like you should!

Because everybody loves me, baby, what's the matter with you?
tell me what did I do to offend you? <whoo, yeah!>

Everybody loves me, baby, what's the matter with you?
tell me what did I do to offend you?

Yeah, everybody loves me, baby, what's the matter with you?
tell me what did I do to offend you?

What say you all? 

by Putnik (0 articles, 1 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 31 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 11:24:03 AM
 

Pie Guy

Trust the American Pie Guy to come up with provocative lyrics! Thanks for the addition!

I'm actually hoping there's a new anthem out there ... a world community anthem would be great, eventually - I'm thinking we might have a few steps to go , in-between, though.

by Meryl Ann Butler (52 articles, 59 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 526 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 1:20:35 PM
 

Oh yeah, BTW...

Yes, the words to the "Star Spangled Banner" were indeed written by Francis Scott Key...however, the music for the "Star Spangled Banner" were those of a popular English drinking song of the time, "To Anacreon in Heaven". So, your e-mailer's contention that: "It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. NOT sorry if this offends anyone because this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP." should also reflect this reality. The English, who were our enemies in the war during which the "Star Spangled Banner" was written were the ones who provided the music!

As regards McLean's catchy song, this particular verse strikes a rather poignant chord:

"Fortune has me well in hand, armies 'wait at my command
My gold lies in a foreign land buried deep beneath the sand
The angels guide my ev'ry tread, my enemies are sick or dead
But all the victories I've led haven't brought you to my bed"

In other words, "How did our oil end up under your sand?"

by Putnik (0 articles, 1 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 31 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 2:45:20 PM
 

Global Anthem

I agree with Mrk; it's time to move beyond "my country/your country" and the very divisiveness this attitude endenders; we are one world, as crises such as global warming make clear. I think Meryl Ann, who is a Renaissance woman in every way, was writing a bit tongue-in-cheek here in order to make the point.

To celebrate our common unity-in-diversity, I suggest http://www.aworldanthem.org. Or even that tune a whole group of celebs sang years ago, "We Are the World."

by Amara Rose (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 1:34:31 PM
 

The average person does not advance beyond 14

All the bric a brac is for them.  How about "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Happy Birthday to us"?

by John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1482 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 1:59:25 PM
 

Wombat Speaks Out for One World

I'd wanted to include this flash presentation in my original post but couldn't remember the link till just now. Enjoy!

Wombat for One World

by Amara Rose (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 4:46:19 PM
 

THANKS!

thankyouveddymuch

o-o-o-o-o, i wuvs dat wombat!

by Meryl Ann Butler (52 articles, 59 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 526 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 11:02:10 PM
 

No World Government

While I'm a staunch believer in equality & think that we should all get along & work globally, a one world government isn't the way. Such a government would be horribly tyrannical, being so detached & remote from the people. Jefferson warned against this in the US:

"When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated." 

Look no further than the bush Whitehouse to see what's wrong with consolidated government. The Nazi nightmare would have been avoided if the Germans  had not consolidated into one big nation. There are many more examples, but you get the idea. Lets not do the same on a world wide scale. 

by Darren Wolfe (7 articles, 224 quicklinks, 109 diaries, 807 comments) on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 6:42:32 AM
 

Not written yet

While I understand your sentiment, I do not believe changing the National Anthem would or even should be that easy. I believe it could, should be done in much the same way as the Vietnam War memorial design was chosen. An open competition of new works rather than retreading an old song. It would require a rather large organization to handle it, but then we certainly wouldn't want one person to choose it. So perhaps a panel to whittle down the entries to the best 10, then have the House and Senate select from there. I know I know politicians always screw everything up, but face it if we don't include them in some way, they would pass a law to stop it.

by POdVet (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 32 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 5:13:43 PM
 

Re: Global Anthem

 

by Munich (1 articles, 81 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 1009 comments) on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 6:32:19 PM
 

I'm all for immigration and assimilation into the US.

What goads me more than anything though is to hear different sects of US societies describe themselves as African-Americans or Irish-Americans, instead of being an American of African decent, or the use any geographical location before the word American.

They came to the US to enjoy its bounty and hospitality, and should state being an American before their cultural decent is included, not after.

My mother was from Germany and my fathers mother is from China, I'm one of the most mixed up individuals one could ever meet, but both claimed to be American citizens before they put their former nationality first.

German was spoken in our home, but English was used when outside of it. If you choose to be a resident of the US, then only English should be used on all official forms and spoken in the schools. Language pandering to the recent immigrant and their children is un-American.

by Stanimal (0 articles, 4 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 702 comments) on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 3:35:07 AM
 

Personally.....

I think there is a hell of a lot more important things to be concerned about at this moment in time than changing the National Anthem. Besides, most Americans have no idea what it is or even  know the words to it in its entirety. And really, how many people in this nation would care, either way?

by iman (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 89 comments) on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 9:05:23 AM
 

My candidate

I would love to see the Star Spangled Banner disappear, too.  I am likewise repelled by its imagery and sentiments.  Below is what has been my candidate for a replacement for almost 30 years.  I first heard this at a Quaker meeting in Honolulu when I was on my way home from India.  It brought tears to my eyes then, and it sometimes still does.  It could be any and all countries' 'national' or global anthem.  Some, of course, might object to the 'God language'.

This is my song, Oh, god of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, The country where my heart is
Here are my hopes, My dreams, my holy shrine
But other hearts In other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams As true and high as mine

My countries skies are bluer than the ocean
And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine
But other lands Have sunlight too and clover
And skies are everywhere As blue as mine
Oh hear my song Oh god of all the nations
A song of peace For their land and for mine

by Jim Grant (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 9:44:07 AM
 

Thank you, love these lyrics!

Jim,

Thank you for posting, I LOVE this song, I wish I could hear the tune! 

It's interesting to me that lots of songs with the word "god" in them also seem to have a second syllable added, such as this one, "oh, god." I've noticed it for many years, and it makes me wonder if there is some innate sense that wants to make the word for god into two syllables. The "fix" of course, is to simply substitute the word, "goddess." That might also help bring about the balance of the male-female energy, which i have noticed seems to be a bit more heavily balanced on the patriarchal side, for the last 5000 years or so.

by Meryl Ann Butler (52 articles, 59 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 526 comments) on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 12:56:37 PM
 

higher being

I believe to invoke God or Goddess is to imply in some way that we have one faith, but that goes directly against what the founding fathers wanted, a reference to a Higher Being would be the ultimate in non-denominational :D Just a thought.

by POdVet (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 32 comments) on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 9:25:53 PM
 

You are right!

I believe the terms Jefferson used in the Declaration of Independence were  "Nature's God" and "divine Providence."

For the same reasons, I use a lower case "g".

by Meryl Ann Butler (52 articles, 59 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 526 comments) on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 10:07:58 PM
 

IS THIS THE DEFINITIVE ANTHEM???

I wish I had known all the details about this song, Earth Anthem,  when I wrote this article, I certainly would have included it, and it probably would have pushed Philadelphia Freedom off my plate. To hear it, go to Stephen Longfellow Fiske's website at www.fiskemusic.com/ and click on "Earth Anthem Music Video" at the top left. It is sung to the tune of The Star Spangled Banner and he has an awesome voice, and the images are lovely - not to be missed, and I will be sure to include this in my next article on this subject!

by Meryl Ann Butler (52 articles, 59 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 526 comments) on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 11:09:08 PM
 

Our Land

It is high time to change the song. This Land is Our Land (not the OIL COMPANIES) by Woody Guthrie would be mine choice. I have heard it recomended before too. In fact it could be every Nation's song too.

As far as god goes; I call him Dog, for he would rather be lots of peoples Dog than the power's that be GOD.

The United Nations is a good but powerless organization. When they have more power, they could carry out its dreams.

by