God Bless America

Scripture meditation

Exodus 33:13  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

Spoken Introduction:
While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains To the prairies,
To the ocean white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

words and music  Irving Berlin, 1918; revised 1938

 

Born Israel Baline in Mohilev, Russia, Irving Berlin was the son of a cantor.  At age 5, his family of eight emigrated to the United States.  Living in the densely packed immigrant ghettos of Manhattan's lower east side, Berlin's life was a classic American rags-to-riches story.  From a destitute life, filled with hardships, then catapulted to worldwide fame and fortune, he always feared losing his wealth.  Failures appeared to occupy his mind more than successes. 

Though many of his songs became American standard during his early career, his friends remark that he never seemed at peace.  His overwhelming success in popular music, show tunes, and movie musical scores never relieved him of his fear of returning to poverty.  Perhaps he feared his memory of poverty more than anything.  This may also be the reason that he turned over the royalties of several of his compositions to youth charities.

Though he composed his own tunes on a piano, he never learned to play the piano properly and could not read music.  He used only the black keys and could play in only one key.  A mechanism was built with a lever so he could change the musical key when needed.  His assistant would write the musical notation for what he played.  Compared to his contemporaries, Cole Porter, George M. Cohan, and  George Gershwin, he was quite unsophisticated, but his simple music and his creativity touched the heart of America time and time again.  He died an extremely wealthy man in 1989 at the age of 101.