Patriotic Songs with Alternative Lyrics: Sing along with us using alternative lyrics to four traditional patriotic songs ("Hold Tight, Democracy/God Bless America," "America the Beautiful/Democracy the Vulnerable," "My Sweet Democracy/My Country, 'Tis of Thee," and "Oh, Democracy Where Are You?/The Battle Hymn of the Republic" These fresh lyrics are sometimes funny but always full of poignancy, yearning, and new meaning for today. (Scroll down after the audio clip to see the lyrics and links to the other songs.)
An Alternative National Anthem: America's national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," was written during a war and reflects militaristic themes. We invite you to help us find alternatives that line up with America's values and virtues, such as equality, freedom, justice for all, the common good, and popular sovereignty — the idea that the power of government comes from us, the people.
Them’s Fightin’ Words: 10 Great Protest Songs: Through a look back at some music that has challenged the status quo, singer and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III shares his hope for fervent singing to erupt once again as a powerful form of political persuasion.
The American Anthem series: National Public Radio (NPR) is choosing popular songs that help us define what it means to be an American -- songs that reach across time, theme and genre to rouse, unite, uplift or call to action.
