Restoring the Dream!

Welcome to the blog inspired by the song Anthem for the Millennium©, more commonly known as America, My Home©.  This blog is meant to be a forum for discussion of matters crucial to rebuilding the greatness of America.  The major premise upon which this blog operates is that there is an inextricable relationship between the character of our country (hence, its greatness) and the character of its people.  A secondary premise is that there has been a continuous but subtle erosion in the greatness of America as the result of cultural forces that have chipped away at some of the most fundamental traditions and institutions that not only have helped instill character in the American people, but also played crucial roles in the catapulting of the United States of America into the position of leader of the free world.  With the slow passing of the “Greatest Generation,” and the continuing assault on core values, traditions, and institutions, the greatness of America has diminished.  Because for most of recent history it has been the strongest force for good in the world, the diminishing of America’s greatness cannot be taken lightly.  The world is at a crossroads.  If ever the leadership of a great America was needed, it is now.

The problem is that the number of persons of integrity, responsiblity, and willingness to take on the burden of keeping the promise of America has decreased and the number of persons behaving irresponsibly, looking to be “carried” by the burden-takers, and rejecting any role in the preservation of America’s greatness has increased.  This realization actually came to me while I was beginning research for a book about the interdependence of freedom and responsibility.  For the first time in my adult life, I began to take very seriously my responsibility to uphold the values America had blessed me with and that made my prosperity possible.  I began to be literally haunted by a melody that played in my head nearly every day for years.  I knew only that it was a patriotic tune, and that somewhere in the chorus would be the phrase “America, my home.”  Never having composed a song before in my life (actually never having even thought about it), I had no idea why I became obsessed with this tune or what in tarnation I would even do about it!  One of my brothers asked me:  ”Just what is it you think you want to say with this song?”  I thought about it quite a lot and then replied:  ”I want to tell people that freedom is precious, that a country’s people have to be of good character for freedom to flourish, that we all have a responsibility to preserve the freedom we have, and that I’m personally beginning to take that responsibility more seriously than at any time in my life.  I want others to do the same.  Somehow, I want to reach their hearts and wake them up.  We’re in danger of losing our freedom and the world is in danger of losing a great America.”  

My conversation with my brother spurred me to begin a collaboration with my wife (a true poet in her own right), and finally the words for the song became clear.  Then, I faced another problem.  I had a melody, and I had words.  What was I supposed to do with them?  Yet something inside me simply kept pushing me to do something.  Finally, I simply started searching around for a musician that could make an arrangement of the song.  The first arranger I found did a good job and I thought I’d done whatever I was supposed to do.  My wife and I listened to the tape, enjoyed it, and then forgot about the song - at least for awhile.  Then, I started getting troubled inside all over again.  I felt that there was some reason I was supposed to DO SOMETHING with the song, but I had no idea what.  I didn’t think the arrangement of the song was what it should be, so I asked the person hired to perform the vocals to recommend someone else.  He couldn’t see any real reason for me doing so but he amused me by referring me to another arranger.  I told this man that I wanted something different but had absolutely no technical skill to even describe to him what I could only hear in my head.  He asked me why I wrote a patriotic song when no one would be interested in hearing it and I told him only that it’s what I felt compelled to do.  Fortunately, he said he’d work with me.  He took my material but I didn’t hear from him for some time.  One day, he asked me to come to his studio to hear what he had done so far.  I nearly broke into tears.  The opening lines gave me goosebumps.  Then, after correcting some errors that he’d made “translating” my poorly hand-written lyrics, he let me work with him to get things right both lyrically and musically.  Finally, we’d done it!  But now what?  What would be the purpose?  Why had I gone through all the time and trouble?  

One day, completely on a lark, I dropped in unannounced at a planning meeting for an annual outdoor concert and festival held on Memorial Day weekend.  I gave the director a tape of the song and begged him to just listen to it, then left.  To my surprise, 3 days later he left me a message that his committee had formed big plans to feature the song, and the singer who did the vocals at the festival.  It was received very well.  ”Well,” I thought, “that’s it.  That’s what this was all supposed to lead up to.”  Boy, was I wrong. Months later, the entire world was shocked with the attacks of 9-11.  I got in my car and drove to Nashville, trying to sell someone on the idea that the nation might need this song.  ”Maybe,” I thought, “that’s why I was so driven to produce it.”  But I was wrong again, if only partly.  All the folks in Nashville I talked to said that it was a great song but they and their artists were refusing to take any works that “might capitalize on the tragedy” of 9-11.  Heading home with both disappointment and bewilderment, my wife called me on my cell phone.  ”You won’t believe it!,” she said. “They’re playing our song on TV!.”  It turned out that a local TV station personality had heard the song at the outdoor festival months before and thought it had the right message for a difficult time.  An engineer at the station paired the song with a video montage, and all of a sudden, people were responding.  Then there were invitations for performances at churches.  A local college incorporated the song into an annual production, civic groups wanted performances of it.  There was a flurry of re-kindled patriotic spirit, and the song was a part of it.  I was humbled beyond belief.  I knew first hand that a power greater than me had spurred the whole chain of events.

In time, the memory of 9-11 faded and many became disillusioned with the conduct of the war on terror. Patriotism appeared to be in decline again.  The song is still performed, but the patriotic spirit that spurred exposure for it has waned.  

In recent weeks, ill-advised governmental policies, the ever-present effects of a genuine culture war, and irresponsibility in the financial markets brought world economies to the brink.  I saw the greatness of America threatened once again.  I see the need to sound the alarm as great.  And even though there is now a plethora of talk radio shows and other forums addressing similar issues, I see a need for a balanced, steady, clear, and frank discussion of the crucial issues that face us.  So………..I started this blog.

I want to reach you several ways.  I’m a writer by nature, and my first, and as of today still my only published book, has done better than I could ever have hoped.  It speaks to issues of character and responsibilty.  I have another book that will be ready for release soon, and it takes a much deeper look at the character crisis in America.  Yet another book I’m developing addresses the fundamental inter-relationship between character in people and the greatness of a country.  So writing is one of the ways I’m trying to reach people. Music is another.  I know that America, My Home!© has the power to affect people.  I’ve been told that many times now.  So, it’s another way I’m trying to reach people - to get the message across.  We simply can’t allow any more erosion of the traditions, values, and principles that made our country great.  So, I’m doing what I can to get exposure for the song.  It’s not being promoted by a big name artist, and it’s probably never going to make money sufficient to even cover the cost of making it.  I’m hoping this blog will help. Maybe, someday someone will hear the song and make it popular, who knows?  But for now, my purpose is simply to give it exposure so that as many people hear it as possible and become affected by it.  That will serve its main purpose.

The third way I’m trying to reach people is with this blog.  I discovered blogging, and especially the mechanics of it only a few months ago.  I also now have a disabling illness that has forced me into retirement.  But I can and do blog, and I intend to do a lot of it in the coming months.  I only hope that I reach people and that we start a dialogue of real merit.  

So, here we go.  I’ll be posting only once a week until I get the hang of things (or until the blogosphere pushes me to do more).  To give you an even better idea about the inspiration for America, My Home!© and this blog, I’m printing the lyrics below for both of its versions.  I’m also providing a link to the song page on my website as well as the blog dedicated to my writings.  This blog is also the only place where you can hear the full-length version of the most popular rendition of the song.  Here’s the link:  anthem-for-the-millennium

WATCH A LIVE PERFORMANCE OF “AMERICA, MY HOME” BY RICKY DAVID TRIPP

Version 1 (popular CD version) Lyrics

I have seen the torch of freedom pass from hand to yearning hand
And the vision of our fathers spread hope throughout this land
As the dream some fought and died for in my heart, becomes my own
I will strive to keep her promise, America, my home!

America!, America! May God bless America!
And freedom reign across America, my home!

From the shorelines to the prairies to the cities, great and small
We have reaped the fruits of justice and liberty for all
So with deep appreciation for the blessings we have known
I will honor her forever, America, my home!

America!, America! May God bless America!
And freedom reign across America, my home!

America!, America! May God bless America!
And freedom reign across America, my home!
May freedom reign across America, my home!

©Copyright 1999 George K. Simon, Jr. All Rights Reserved