Patriotic Music: God Bless The USA

America is a tune. It must be sung together. ~Gerald Stanley Lee, Crowds

God Bless The USA

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again
with just my children and my wife.
I'd thank my lucky stars
to be livin' here today,
'cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee,
across the plains of Texas,
from sea to shining sea,
From Detroit down to Houston
and New York to LA
Well, there's pride in every American heart,
and it's time to stand and say that

I'm proud to be an American
where as least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA.

About This Music

God Bless America

"God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written by country musician Lee Greenwood. The first Greenwood album it appears on is 1984's You've Got A Good Love Comin'. It reached number 7 on the country charts when originally released in 1984, and was played at the 1984 Republican National Convention, but the song was first widely heard during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991, as a way of boosting morale.

A music video was released for this song in 1984, depicting Greenwood as a farmer who loses the family farm. Greenwood connects the song to no matter what happens with him and the farm, he is still proud of the United States.

Greenwood also recorded the song, with slightly altered lyrics, as "God Bless You, Canada".

The popularity of the song rose sharply since the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the song was re-released as a single, re-entering the country music charts at #16. The song could often be heard on the radio after those events, and versions of the song are widely distributed online. There were other places playing the song, and several versions with quotes from President George W. Bush have appeared online.