Monday, July 4, 2011

America The Beautiful, Ray Charles, Katherine Lee Bates


America The Beautiful, Ray Charles

Oh beautiful, for heroes proved, 
In liberating strife, 
Who more than self, our country loved, 
And mercy more than life, 
America, America, may God thy gold refine, 
Till all success be nobleness 
And every gain devined. 
And you know when I was in school, 
We used to sing it something like this, listen here: 
Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, 
For amber waves of grain, 
For purple mountain majesties, 
Above the fruited plain, 
But now wait a minute, I'm talking about 
America, sweet America, 
You know, God done shed his grace on thee, 
He crowned thy good, yes he did, in a brotherhood, 
From sea to shining sea. 
You know, I wish I had somebody to help me sing this 
(America, America, God shed his grace on thee) 
America, I love you America, you see, 
My God he done shed his grace on thee, 
And you oughta love him for it, 
Cause he, he, he, he, crowned thy good, 
He told me he would, with brotherhood, 
(From sea to shining sea). 
Oh Lord, oh Lord, I thank you Lord 
(Shining sea).


"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward.
Bates originally wrote the words as a poem, Pikes Peak, first published in the Fourth of July edition of the church periodical The Congregationalist in 1895. At that time, the poem was titled America for publication.
Ward had originally written the music, Materna, for the 19th century hymn O Mother dear, Jerusalem in 1882. Ward's music combined with the Bates poem was first published in 1910 and titled America the Beautiful.
The song is one of the most beloved and popular of the many American patriotic songs.[1] From time to time it has been proposed as a replacement for The Star-Spangled Banner as the National Anthem.

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