Sweet Land Of Liberty
I always considered the months of June and July to be the "Patriotic" months of the year. Memorial day is on the last Monday in May and I almost count it as part of the two months. Then with D-day on June sixth, Flag day on the fourteenth and, of course, Independence day on the Fourth of July, it fills the months; well, almost! Any way, why am I writing this now and not on the eve of one of those holidays I just mentioned? Simply for the reason that I want to! Besides I already missed most of them and have something else in mind for Independence day.
There was a time when there was no America and but for the courage of a few men who saw beyond the years we may have been still to this day colony of Great Britain. And but for the Christian faith of many of these men our revolution may have turned out as horrific and disastrous as that of the French or worse! Truly, we in America have much to be thankful for and so many of us, myself included, take it all for granted. Yet imagine the scene of a field after a battle, imagine the bodies strewn over the grass the blood, the cries of those who are not quite dead, but, will be soon. There is nothing more you can do for them. Most of them in the bloom of youth; perhaps there is a sweetheart at home or perhaps a widowed mother or a young sister or brothers. Perhaps he is the only son of his father, the pride of the family, lying here almost dead, his life cut short; and yet not wasted. Imagine if you were the young man out there breathing his last. Or maybe you are the family member waiting in vain for Johnny to come marching home!
What ever the case, war is ugly and freedom comes at a cost, always!
Today I want to share with you a ballad; a ballad of Washington and of one man who lost all in the cause of the Revolutionary war: The Blacksmith of Brandywine. I love singing this song when I'm out walking and want to sing some thing rousing. I like to sing it with my brothers, I sing the verses and they all join in on the chorus! It is a fun, lively song, written in the nineteen sixties. Yes, a relatively modern song but keep in mind, I am not against all modern songs. I am simply against most of them! It doesn't matter when it's written if it is good
And this one is certainly good! Though I certainly wouldn't sing it in church or in praise to God!
So Here are the Lyrics:
And here is a video so you can hear what it sounds like:
Now after all this, the question may come up; what is a Ballad? I was hoping you would ask! A Ballad is a story in verse. They used to be sung in castles and great halls in order to remember things that happened in history; many would speak of a brave warrior or king who distinguished himself by unusual acts of bravery. Many were about battles fought and many were quite long. The word is derived from the French "ballare" to dance and was used in reference to dancing songs, "ballares". This is probably a little much to remember, so just keep in mind that a ballad is simply a story, turned into a song!
Maybe sometime you'll write a ballad about some thing that happened to you or someone you know!
But enjoy this lively song!
Until next time.......
There was a time when there was no America and but for the courage of a few men who saw beyond the years we may have been still to this day colony of Great Britain. And but for the Christian faith of many of these men our revolution may have turned out as horrific and disastrous as that of the French or worse! Truly, we in America have much to be thankful for and so many of us, myself included, take it all for granted. Yet imagine the scene of a field after a battle, imagine the bodies strewn over the grass the blood, the cries of those who are not quite dead, but, will be soon. There is nothing more you can do for them. Most of them in the bloom of youth; perhaps there is a sweetheart at home or perhaps a widowed mother or a young sister or brothers. Perhaps he is the only son of his father, the pride of the family, lying here almost dead, his life cut short; and yet not wasted. Imagine if you were the young man out there breathing his last. Or maybe you are the family member waiting in vain for Johnny to come marching home!
What ever the case, war is ugly and freedom comes at a cost, always!
Today I want to share with you a ballad; a ballad of Washington and of one man who lost all in the cause of the Revolutionary war: The Blacksmith of Brandywine. I love singing this song when I'm out walking and want to sing some thing rousing. I like to sing it with my brothers, I sing the verses and they all join in on the chorus! It is a fun, lively song, written in the nineteen sixties. Yes, a relatively modern song but keep in mind, I am not against all modern songs. I am simply against most of them! It doesn't matter when it's written if it is good
And this one is certainly good! Though I certainly wouldn't sing it in church or in praise to God!
So Here are the Lyrics:
As we went down to Brandywine
There was a sight to see
A giant of a man with a hammer in his hand
Beneath the old oak tree
And scattered all around there
In fatal disarray
A score of men who would never fight again
Nor travel on the King’s Highway.
There was a sight to see
A giant of a man with a hammer in his hand
Beneath the old oak tree
And scattered all around there
In fatal disarray
A score of men who would never fight again
Nor travel on the King’s Highway.
We dug his grave, covered him o’er
And sadly wept a tear
And passed the day a ridin’ on our way
Till we met with a musketeer.
He told us of the story of
A brave and angry man
Who undertook the British enemy
With a hammer in his hand.
And sadly wept a tear
And passed the day a ridin’ on our way
Till we met with a musketeer.
He told us of the story of
A brave and angry man
Who undertook the British enemy
With a hammer in his hand.
Chorus
Make it one for Washington and all his gallent men
And one for the girl that once was mine
Make it one for the darling boy I’ll never see again
And don’t forget the blacksmith of Brandywine!
Make it one for Washington and all his gallent men
And one for the girl that once was mine
Make it one for the darling boy I’ll never see again
And don’t forget the blacksmith of Brandywine!
There lived a man in Chester town
Away from the cannon’s roar
Of manner mild, his a woman and child
No man could ever love more
One day he heard a Tory plot
To waylay Washington
He left his home and family alone
And to the General he did run.
Away from the cannon’s roar
Of manner mild, his a woman and child
No man could ever love more
One day he heard a Tory plot
To waylay Washington
He left his home and family alone
And to the General he did run.
His errand done he journed home
But sorrow there he found,
By British gun his wife and son
Lay still on the cold hard ground
Well the Blacksmith took his heavy sledge
And gave a practice swing.
They say down the line at Brandywine
You could hear his hammer sing:
But sorrow there he found,
By British gun his wife and son
Lay still on the cold hard ground
Well the Blacksmith took his heavy sledge
And gave a practice swing.
They say down the line at Brandywine
You could hear his hammer sing:
Chorus
And here is a video so you can hear what it sounds like:
Maybe sometime you'll write a ballad about some thing that happened to you or someone you know!
But enjoy this lively song!
Until next time.......
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