By Alex Berger
Deep as the ocean, High as the mountains
Strong as the people who made it.
And they shall always believe in it.
And they believe it now.
Do you know who they are? – AMERICANS!
— Final stanza from “Ballad For Americans”
There are many stirring patriotic songs that Americans are now singing and listening to during this stressful period — “America the Beautiful,” “I’m Glad To Be An American,” “God Bless America” come to mind.
However, there are two earlier songs, probably not familiar to most Americans, which I believe should also be sung along with the others at this time.
One of them was written during the Great Depression. A young poet, John Latouche, felt the need to write a composition directed against intolerance and persecution spreading throughout the civilized world at the time. He wrote a poem, “Ballad for Americans,” using a narrative history of the United States as a burning symbol of freedom and democracy.
When Latouche collaborated with composer Earl Robinson to add music to his moving words, a new patriotic song was created — just in time for World War II.
“Ballad” was introduced on radio. The studio audience of 600 stamped, shouted, and bravoed for several uninterrupted minutes after hearing it. Untold thousands of other listeners jammed CBS’ Manhattan switchboard for days to express their delight.
The song caught in words and music the deep spirit and character of the heterogeneous and unique American people. No other work in American music (except for one) was ever written in which the words and music were deemed equal in importance. (The other is the timeless and ever-meaningful words of Emma Lazarus inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, which inspired Irving Berlin to set them to music.)
Much to the country’s loss, “Ballad” has since dropped out of favor. How unfortunate.
Another forgotten patriotic song that I admire was “The House I Live In” sung by Frank Sinatra in a short, Academy Award winning documentary made during World War II. It was composed by Robinson as well. Although I wrote in a previous column of my experience with the song in a humorous manner, its piercing words and melody are still very meaningful. The lyrics are:
What is America to me ? — a name, a map, a flag I see, a certain word — DEMOCRACY!
What is America to me?
The House I live in, a plot of earth, a street. The grocer and the butcher, and the people that I meet.
The children in the playground, the faces that I see, all races and religions
That’s America to me.
The place I work in, workers by my side,
a little town or city, where my people lived and died.
The howdy and the handshake, the air of feeling free,
the right to speak my mind out
That’s America to me.
The things I see about me. The big things and the small.
The little corner newsstand, and the house a mile long.
The wedding in the churchyard, the laughter and the tear,
The dream that’s been a-growing, for (220) years.
The town I live in, the street, the house, the room.
The pavement of the city or a garden all in bloom.
The church, the school, the clubhouse, the million lights I see,
BUT, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE — THAT’S AMERICA TO ME.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, a great song very often is worth a thousand pictures. This was proved so conclusively during the early years of World War I, when our leaders used every possible device known to the experts to stimulate a strong nationalistic spirit among our citizens. Along with these experts’ millions of words, there were pictures, speeches, bond drives, parades, and rallies. It remained for George M. Cohan to accomplish with a simple little song what all the experts had only half succeeded in doing. Cohan captured the hearts of every American with “Over There.” The same was true with Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” during World War ii.
Today, the country is singing these wonderful songs, instilling the true meaning of our country and its Constitution. In this topsy-turvy, disturbed world today, in which more than 6,000 innocent people were wiped out within 20 minutes for no rational reason, we need patriotic songs which transcend class culture and generational boundaries, to express our gratitude for the benefits and blessings our country bestows upon us.
How better could America and the people show its steadfast love for America by telling of it, singing of it, and proclaiming it to the world? I believe we should add “Ballad For Americans” and “The House I Live In” — both are songs of hope, courage, loyalty, justice, gratitude, and generosity. Our current patriotic repertoire is incomplete without them.
Reach columnist Alex Berger by e-mail at timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 139.
