A Nation Once Again

I've posted about this Irish Nationalist song before, because it's not just a song for Ireland, but for any country that desperately needs its independence and liberty restored:

When boyhood's fire was in my blood
I read of ancient freemen,
For Greece and Rome who bravely stood,
Three hundred men and three men;
And then I prayed I yet might see
Our fetters rent in twain,
And Ireland, long a province, be
A Nation once again!

CHORUS:
A Nation once again,
A Nation once again,
And lreland, long a province, be
A Nation once again!

And from that time, through wildest woe,
That hope has shone a far light,
Nor could love's brightest summer glow
Outshine that solemn starlight;
It seemed to watch above my head
In forum, field and fane,
Its angel voice sang round my bed,
A Nation once again!

Chorus

It whisper'd too, that freedom's ark
And service high and holy,
Would be profaned by feelings dark
And passions vain or lowly;
For, Freedom comes from God's right hand,
And needs a Godly train;
And righteous men must make our land
A Nation once again!

Chorus

So, as I grew from boy to man,
I bent me to that bidding
My spirit of each selfish plan
And cruel passion ridding;
For, thus I hoped some day to aid,
Oh, can such hope be vain?
When my dear country shall be made
A Nation once again!

"Free America" - a Song of the Revolution

By Dr. Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), written 1770.
He died at the Battle of Bunker Hill

"Lift up your hands ye heroes and swear with proud disdain
The wretch that would ensnare you shall lay his snares in vain.
Should Europe empty all her force, we'll meet her in array,
And fight and shout and shout and fight for North America!

Torn from a world of tyrants beneath this western sky.
We form a new dominion, a land of liberty.
The world shall own we're masters here, then hasten on the day.
Huzzah, huzzah, huzzah, huzzah for free America!

Some future day shall crown us the masters of the main.
Our fleet shall speak in thunder, to England, France, and Spain.
And the nations o'er the oceans' spread shall tremble and obey,
The sons, the sons, the sons, the sons of brave America!"

Callin' All the Clans Together

Brothers, come a-runnin'!

A Christian-American of Celtic Descent Dissents against Catholic-Irish Event

Anyone who knows me knows that I strive to be a Christian in the Biblical sense; that is, everything I believe should be proven to be true in the Bible.

Everything in the Bible is true, anything to the contrary notwithstanding; any question pertaining to doctrine can be supported or denied by Scripture, with each verse supporting the last, as there are, contrary to popular opinion, no contradictions in Scripture.

That said, I will try to explain my position on the oh, so popular celebration of Patrick's Day.

The full name of this event is called "Saint" Patrick's Day, but since the Catholic Church illegitimately claims Christianity, and Patrick was a Catholic bishop, I can't bring myself to calling the man a saint.

I absolutely love Irish music; the rhythm, the lyrics, and the tempo of the reels all appeal to my musical DNA. The same is true of Messianic Jewish music, but that's another post.

Other than the poor, misled Catholic sheeple who are herded off to Mass every March 17th, I don't know of anyone who cares about celebrating a dead Catholic priest. I think the whole draw of the thing is the beer and the music. As I think it's pointless to drink beer, I am drawn solely to the music at events all over the countryside and on television on Patrick's Day.

The muted tenor of uilleann pipes and the airy shrillness of Irish whistles playing the tunes of the Emerald Isle draw people of all descents. So does Guinness, but as I said, this has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

So, what's a body to do, a Christian body, when you really don't want to celebrate Patrick, a dead Catholic priest, but you can't help but enjoy the rampant celebration of some decent music for a change?

Go ahead and listen to the sweet melodies of Ireland, watch the parade on TV, as parades are fun to watch, but do you really care about Patrick? Is Patrick worth celebrating?

I don't celebrate Patrick's Day. I make it a point to wear an un-green color. And why should I celebrate the guy? He only misled masses of people into a false, cult-like religion.

Have a Happy Irish Music Extravaganza Enjoyment Day, but, by all means, forget the dead Catholic guy, okay?

Kansan Flag and Anthem

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Chorus:
Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Where the air is so pure, the zephyrs so free,
The breezes so balmy and light,
That I would not exchange my home on the range
For all of the cities so bright.

Chorus

The red man was pressed from this part of the West
He's likely no more to return,
To the banks of Red River where seldom if ever
Their flickering camp-fires burn.

Chorus

How often at night when the heavens are bright
With the light from the glittering stars
Have I stood here amazed and asked as I gazed
If their glory exceeds that of ours.

Chorus

Oh, I love these wild flowers in this dear land of ours
The curlew I love to hear scream,
And I love the white rocks and the antelope flocks
That graze on the mountain-tops green.

Chorus

Oh, give me a land where the bright diamond sand
Flows leisurely down the stream;
Where the graceful white swan goes gliding along
Like a maid in a heavenly dream.

Chorus

~Original poem by Dr. Brewster Higley in 1876; official state anthem of Kansas since 1947.

Don't Tread on My Flag: The Gadsden Flag Song Competition

I feel it's a shame that one of the grandest flags ever to fly over American soil doesn't have a legitimate song, so I plan to bring attention to the forgotten flag, and restore it to prominence as an American symbol.

And so, I do hereby state that I shall be holding a competition for best music and lyrics for a song about the Gadsden Flag. You may enter a tune, lyrics, or both.

(I'm well aware of the various rock "songs" named "Don't Tread on Me"; that is not legitimate music, so don't even think of entering anything like that.)

The winner will get full credit at an exhibition of the song here at my blog, and possibly other places. Again, tunes, lyrics or both may be entered; the best of either of these categories will be chosen.

You may use this post to comment your entry for lyrics. If your entry contains music, simply comment a link to your video such as from Vimeo or YouTube.

So, show your musical genius as well as American patriotism, and get to work on it!
If nobody submits a decent song, I will submit my own song and declare myself the winner. (And nobody wants that!)

The competition ends November first; the winner and song will debut here on the third.