Click on to the title to link to YouTube’s film clip of Bob Dylan performing his early sardonic classic “With God On Our Side”, with Joan Baez. (At least, classic, through the early Cold War period. An updating is in order.)
Markin comment:
As apolitical, or anti-political, as Bob Dylan turned out to be, in his early days he wrote some great anti-war classics that, like “Masters Of War” and “A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall” and the song featured in this entry, have, more or less, stood the test of time. In “With God On Our Side”, in one song, one finds the “highlights” of the American imperial experience over the past century or so- a short course, in verse, of the wars fought to defend that system. Of course, since it was written in the early 1960s, the thing needs some serious updating to include the Vietnam War, the various Middle Eastern wars, a few off- hand police actions hardly worth mentioning, and triumphant invasions (like Grenada and Panama). However, this song will get you started.
As the Obama Administration takes us through another even more bloody mess in Afghanistan someone should also add additional verses to reflect its “role of honor” in American imperial history. I have my own suggestion- “Neck Deep In The “Big Poppy” –but someone else could do much better on that theme, moreover, that is for another day. For now the rest of us- to the streets. Immediate Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S. Troops From Afghanistan (And Iraq)! Enough Already- Build A Workers Party That Fights For A Workers Government!
With God On Our Side-Bob Dylan lyrics
Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.
Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.
Copyright ©1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
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