We Built This Country (song)

Yes, the starship has descended once more with yet another parody from yesteryear.
This song is a parody of "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship. And my parody uses some quotes from guys like Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence) and of course, The Bible. Read through the Declaration and the Constitution and you'll see both have clear references to God. Just look at the Preamble to the Constitution.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Look at the definition of "blessing" from dictionary.com

1. the act or words of a person who blesses.
2. a special favor, mercy, or benefit: the blessings of liberty.
3. a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.
4. the invoking of God's favor upon a person: The son was denied his father's blessing.
5. praise; devotion; worship, esp. grace said before a meal: The children took turns reciting the blessing.
6. approval or good wishes: The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.


Hmm- a blessing is a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness. Someone has to give the blessing- and only God can give true liberty and freedom!

And it's even more obvious in The Declaration of Independence.

"When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness......"

(And check out how we're gonna pull this Revolutionary War thing off)-

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Thomas Jefferson acknowledged the sovereignity of God three times here. One of the first things the Pilgrims did when they landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 was to erect a cross and have a minister say a prayer to God for them. In 1954, by an act of the Supreme Court, the phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance- what we all grew up saying most every day in elementary school. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had the phrase "In God We Trust" printed on all American currency- check your money- it's still there!

Check out the full lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner", our country's National Anthem. Especially look at the last verse! http://hjem.get2net.dk/niels_quist/usa.htm

"Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust'. And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

I love this last verse!!! It's even better than the first (and most familiar) one. That verse just asks the question, "Does the Star-Spangled Banner still wave over America- the land of the free and the home of the brave?" The last verse emphatically answers- "YES, IT DOES!!!!" (Forever may she wave!)

But we must still remember God's Word- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." (Psalms 33:12)

So here you go........

"We Built This Country"

(parody of "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship;
copyright Nathan Ludwick 08/15/2007)
Psalms 33:12
Psalms 46:1
Psalms 55:22
Psalms 111:10
Psalms 146
Proverbs 3:33
Proverbs 14:34

Chorus 1: We built this country, we built this country on God alone; Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Verse 1: Say you don't know me or recognize my face
Say you don't care or know from whence came this place
Knee-deep in brouhaha, "Have not begun to fight"
Through Washington's armies, securing us our rights

Pre-Chorus 1: Monroe, he gave the Doctrine- listen to the men of old
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Chorus 2: We built this country, it's on the money- in God alone! Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Verse 2: Someone always playing revisionistic games
Truth scares- they're always changing historic claims of faith
Are we just going to stand here? Someone stole God's place
They call us all intolerable, write us off the page

Pre-Chorus 2: John Jay, he says November, Christians are the way to vote
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(Repeat Chorus 2)

Verse 3: I'm just another Fundie in a tired old suit
Atheists got the choke hold (Ohhh!) But we've just got to speak!

We count our money and our sacred honor
Our lives all resting on the God of our fathers
Declaring dependence, 'cause we're of Plymouth roots
Looking for America- Creator gives these truths

(Spoken): "I am sure there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine Interposition in their affairs than those of the United States"

Don't you remember? (Remember)

(Spoken): I should be pained to believe they've forgotten the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them...."Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"

Pre-Chorus 3: Proverbs 33 in 3rd. chapter, Listen to God's Holy Word
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(Repeat Chorus 2)
Built this country, (Ohhh!) We built this country on God alone!
Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(We built, we built this country)
Built this country (we built, we built this country)
(Repeat until fade) x7
[Interchange with "Rebuild, Rebuild this country"]
(Fade on- "Rebuild this country on God alone!")



.........................................................................

Okay- there you go. And here's the cool music video to watch and sync up with on Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFtW0WKT0Tw

And here's the cool midi to sing along with!!! http://www.midmninfo.com/mobile/midikaraoke/builtthiscity.mid

Red, White and True Blue

Happy Independence Day!!! J

A few Muppet tributes to a great country- America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BqqYaEM2mA
(“America The Beautiful” by Fozzie Bear J)

and

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o
(“Stars and Stripes Forever” by Animal, Swedish Chef, Beaker, chickens, a penguin, Bobo the Bear- and of course, Sam the American Eagle!)

and

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAVpj_Vo7zk
(The Muppets re-enact the Continental Congress- with some Sesame Street Muppets too! J)

As William Bradford said in “Of Plymouth Plantation”-

The one side [the Reformers] laboured to have ye right worship of God & discipline of Christ established in ye church, according to ye simplicitie of ye gospell, without the mixture of mens inventions, and to have & to be ruled by ye laws of Gods word, dispensed in those offices, & by those officers of Pastors, Teachers, & Elders, &c. according to ye Scripturs.

All great & honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and must be both enterprised and overcome with answerable courages. It was granted ye dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible. For though there were many of them likely, yet they were not cartaine; it might be sundrie of ye things feared might never befale; others by providente care & ye use of good means, might in a great measure be prevented; and all of them, through ye help of God, by fortitude and patience, might either be borne, or overcome.

………………………………………….And as our founding fathers said 238 years ago today-

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

………………….We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

And as we said 227 years ago-

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And as The Lord inspired David and Solomon to write in ancient days (somewhere from 1000 to 900 something BC):

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. (Psalms 33:12)

The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. (Proverbs 3:33)

Amen. May America be such a nation.
God bless you in your celebrations on the 4^th. of July and God bless America! J
(And God bless all the world too. :-))