The best American patriotic song

Toby Keith

"Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."

That's a good song! I like Toby Keith. He, like many other country musicians, puts on a hell of a show every time. Funny thing is that, when he's not on stage, he's got the ghetto bling thing going. I saw him in catering last year, and I would have thought he was a rapper before I would have thought he was a country artist. :wtf:
 
I lost respect for Mellencamp when he sold out and let his This is Our Country song be used to sell Chevy trucks. Not to mention some of those commercials were borderline insulting to me (and the rest I just despised because they were annoying crap), like the one that used an image of Rosa Parks in it. What the hell does Rosa Parks have to do with pickup trucks?
 
John Brown's Body or Yankee Doodle.

The old songs are much better. The newer ones are way too cheesy. (the likes of Toby Keith and others) :ak47:
 
Frankly, I'm a bit partial to Minstrel Boy too...

cheers,
 
There's no such thing as a good patriotic song. I find them to be anthems of death, for whatever country they are championing.

My favourite is Bruce - Born In The USA. I find it ironic that a song that is so critical to the core of the US and its military and foreign policy and leaders is still mentioned as a patriotic song. That's why I admire the brilliance of Bruce.

I also like what Mellencamp does THESE days, now that he is older and wiser.

I like this particular patriotic song - for me it's about the juxtaposition between what America is supposed to be, and what it has become:

___________________________________________________

SET US FREE

Looks like the war might soon be over
I suppose it's time to celebrate
A million innocent people have died
Justified with a lie
I guess we all make mistakes

Do you think we're not to blame this time
This was all done in your name and mine
You think that we don't have a choice
In all this freedom and democracy
We don't have a voice
Why don't we have a voice

The teachers think that no-one cares
Cause all they see are vacant stares
But the only thing my TV airs
Comes from five major news networks
Whose CEOs are billionaires
With vested interests and corporate shares
Who are paid more money than you'll ever see
To scare the life out of you and me

When I was young
I had a dream
And I'm still holding on
To what I believe
All the people
Control our destiny
All of us equal
In a world that's peaceful
Set us free...
Set us free...
Only we can set us free...
Set us free...
Set us free...
Only we can set us free...

The fascist reign is nearly over
Now we can go back to sleep till 2013
If we all go on living this way
We don't have a chance, things will never change
They know exactly how to get inside us
To segregate and divide us
It's genius how they find ways to keep 300 million people
Fighting amongst ourselves
About illegal immigration, and gun control and religion,
And whether we should murder our criminals and force women to bear children,
And gay marriage and radio censorship which are none of the government's business,
Our decisions are based on this moralistic irrelavance

Is this freedom? Or is this just comical?
The point is, these things are not political
If we don't have the right to choose, and inner city kids were born to lose,
The only ones who are free are the rich extreme...
Ask the right questions...

Like who are the ones who control all the information?
And why can't you afford to give your children education?
And why can't everyone afford simple medicine?
When we live in the world's richest nation?

When I was young
I had a dream
And I'm still holding on
To what I believe
All the people
Control our destiny
All of us equal
In a world that's peaceful
Set us free...
Set us free...
Only we can set us free...
Set us free...
Set us free...
Only we can set us free...

And the heroes who died for you
Did not wear just red white and blue
They wore the colours of the world
And they were shot down cause too many people heard
Them scream....
Set us free...
Set is free...

One man can't change the world
One woman can't change the world
One man can't change the world
One woman can't change the world
What we need is unity
Together we can do anything
I still believe in peace
Only we can set us free...

When I was young
I had a dream
All of us free
In a world at peace
And I still believe
Set us free

"Freedom of choice is what you've got
Freedom from choice is what you want."

Devo
 
The Stars and Stripes Forever, a classic march by John Phillip Sousa
 
I'm not crazy about any of them, least of all the post-9/11 "new country" ones that commercially exploited that event.


I agree 100% and that new Mellencamp one that chevy uses to advertise their gas guzzling pick up trucks with line "this is our country" as though those were what we should celebrate as the american ideal is pretty awful too.Time for a new ideal IMO,one that says bigger and louder and crass commercialism isn't always better.
 
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