The Rogue Speaks:
"Oh, say can you see..." The first strains of the National Anthem rang out in the stadium, as Tim and his mother stood, waiting for the Little League Finals to begin. Tim had come to watch his little brother play second base for his team.
After the song had concluded, Tim asked, "Mom, why does our National Anthem have to be about war?"
"I've never really thought about that, Tim, but you're right! I’m afraid I don’t know.”
"I think that the song should be about the beauty of our country, like America The Beautiful.
“That’s a wonderful idea, Tim,” his mother replied.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Please check out Jenny's Saturday Centus and read the other wonderful offerings.
20 comments:
Dear Judie,
That's a very good point. Why didn't "America the Beautiful" get to be the anthem instead? It is a lot prettier and easier to sing!
Great centus!
Best wishes,
Anna
A Rainy Day in July-Anna's SC wk 61
I've never thought about it, but I sort of agree that "America the Beautiful" would be better! Great post!
No right to an opinion here, but as one who has spent two tours in the US with a military husband, and sung your National Anthem on many occasions, I must say that it is very difficult to sing. America the Beautiful says so much more about your great country....and everyone can sing it!
I have ALWAYS thought that "America the Beautiful" should be our national anthem! Always.
Well done, Judie. I could just see the little fellow looking up at his mother.
Namaste.........cj
I love the national anthem. Our country is indeed beautiful, and I am always stirred by the song, "America the Beautiful," but "The Star Spangled Banner" speaks to my heart and reminds me that liberty comes at a price. The seeds of our nation were sown in a battle for freedom against tyranny.
The anthem, to me, is about our flag and all that it represents...our willingness to hold on to the freedoms we love at any cost...our will to keep on standing, no matter what challenges may threaten us.
As a mother of three sons, I despise even the thought of war. But humanity is flawed, and there will always be those who would exert their will over ours, if we let them.
We have fought wars we should not have fought; that's for certain. But despite past errors, the words "Give me liberty or give me death" still mean a lot to me...and so does our national anthem.
"Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" I hope the answer to that question will always be yes, and I think it's good one to ask ourselves often, every time we sing our national anthem.
Just one person's opinion, of course.....And I hope I've not offended anyone!
=)
Sheesh. Sorry I wrote a manifesto!
(Please know that I respect everyone else's thoughts on this, too.)
=)
Perhaps we could have it changed...we need something more positive. Such a fine way to weave the spirit of the prompt with your opinion Judie...Peace and blessings
I love both songs....American catches all the beauty of this country...anthem, well, it was born of war as was our country...guess it has its place too.
I agree that America the Beautiful should be our anthem, and the official version should be the one by Ray Charles.
Nice one & very good point.
Happy Fourth to you and yours ~ ^_^
I so agree with you. I love America The Beautiful. I wish it was our national anthem.
Hope you have a great holiday.
In our nation’s infancy, September 1814, U.S. soldiers, after a night of bombardment by those who would take away our freedom, raised a huge American flag over Fort McHenry to celebrate a victory over British forces in the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key was inspired by the sight and the poem he wrote eventually became the United States national anthem.
While, in my opinion, war is an absurd way of dealing with human problems, I do recognize that there have been times in our history when we had no choice. Today, amid concepts like nation building, celebration of wartime does seem inappropriate. Nevertheless, our soldiers have always served us proudly, and they should be respected. They ensure our freedom.
If I had a choice, since this is the 21st century, and since Great Britain has remained our strong ally for 200 years, I would favor America the Beautiful.
Hi Judie, Just wanted to stop by and say hi! Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating our great country and our freedom on the 4th. Great SC. Hugs!~Ames
I have never really cared much for our national anthem. It is tedious and Christina Aguilera can't sing sing it. I bet she would have done a fabulous job with America the Beautiful. Much better song. Happy 4th, Judie!
Such an interesting point Judie, i have never given it much thought ... historically it is an important piece of writing, and it is vivid, i can always "see" your flag when i hear this anthem ... which is a good thing!
I totally agree. "America The Beautiful" would be my choice!
Then again, whenever i attend a sporting event, everyone is always so kind. Right before it begins, the whole crowd asks, "Oh Shay, can you see?" Isn't that nice of them? ;-)
I loved your post, Judie! You make a very valid point. Historical significance aside, I think our national anthem should be more about the greatness that is America and less about the glorification of war. Of course the Repubs would just say that's socialist, communist, fascist (take your pick, those morons don't know what any of them mean anyway) talk! LOL! Great job!
Today I googled the words of the Star Spangled Banner and read them all. Such poignant words of loss and determination.
I could so visualize this child looking at his mother, Judie.
Well written and thought provoking.
Happy Fourth, sweet lady.
What a great little story to make everyone stop and really think about our National Anthem. laurie
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