THE HOUSE I LIVE IN
[I'm sharing the lyrics to this WW II song with you because it's about America, and because in a few days we'll celebrate the Fourth of July as our day of independence gained nearly 250 years ago.Even more important than the historical interest in this "patriotic anthem"--see note below--is the sense that people during those war years kept a picture in their hearts about what their country meant to them.
I pray we have beautiful pictures of our country, our home, in our hearts today. The ones we see on our screens can terrify us--why not remember what we are, deep down?]
From SongFacts website:
This became a patriotic anthem in America during World War II. The lyrics describe the wonderful things about the country, with images of the era like the grocer, the butcher, and the churchyard. The "house" is a metaphor for the country.
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[If you want to hear the song performed, check out YouTube--Frank Sinatra, Paul Robeson, and Dianne Reeves, among others, recorded it.]
From SongFacts website:
This became a patriotic anthem in America during World War II. The lyrics describe the wonderful things about the country, with images of the era like the grocer, the butcher, and the churchyard. The "house" is a metaphor for the country.
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THE HOUSE I LIVE IN
Songwriters: Lewis Allan / Earl Robinson
What is America to me
A name, a map, or 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
The worker by my side
The little town the city
Where my people lived and died
The howdy and the handshake
The air a feeling free
And the right to speak your mind out
That's America to me
The things I see about me
The big things and the small
The little corner newsstand
Or the house a mile tall
The wedding and the churchyard
The laughter and the tears
The dream that's been a growing
For a hundred and fifty years
The town I live in
The street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city
Or the garden all in bloom
The church the school the clubhouse
The million lights I see
But especially the people
That's America to me
The House I Live In lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc
I don't remember that, but I like the words a lot.
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