Nov 11th Veterans Day
This day, November 11th, is Veterans Day:
48 years ago, in 1972, Ray Charles recorded the beloved song America the Beautiful. On this Veterans Day, we honor all those who have served and protected us over the years, many of them paying the ultimate price to guarantee our freedom. In live performances, Ray Charles, who loved this song, followed a consistent pattern, flavored by the improvisations we associate with gospel and soul music. He adds “I’m talkin’ about America” and “Sweet America,” fervent ornaments that offended the few but inspired the many.
He begins his version, curiously, with the third of four verses, perhaps the least well-known.
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!
My brother, Ron, served in Vietnam in 1972. Thankfully, he made it back home. But so many others did not. And even Ron brought back with him an illness which plagued him for more than 30 years, eventually taking his life in 2008. I remember him fondly today. He was my brother, and an authentic, genuine person. He cared deeply about people, and often did acts of kindness and sacrifice for so many people, usually anonymous acts, which no one knew about. He wasn’t seeking praise or honor. He just wanted to help. But I honor him today. If there are still any heroes left in the world we live in, he was definitely one. He would not have wanted that said of him, but it’s true. He wasn’t just a “relative” to me. He was a loyal supporter and cheer leader of me, and many others. He was my friend. I miss him today.
Ron loved Ray Charles, and loved this song. Written just three decades after the end of the Civil War, those lines, especially the verse above, evoke a traditional honoring of the heroes who gave their lives to protect others and to keep them free. These lines remind us that we are a country blessed by God, though imperfect in His eyes (as is every country that has human beings). Its gold must be refined. The second stanza prays that “God mend” America’s “every flaw.”
What happens next in the Ray Charles version is especially interesting. He speaks directly to the audience over the music, “When I was in school we used to say it something like this. …” Only then does he sing the original first verse, familiar to generations.
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
He invites the audience to sing along, and they always do, a call-and-response pattern familiar to many back in the day, and a powerful expression of unity, community, love of country — with all its flaws. Sisterhood and brotherhood — from the man who liked to be called not a genius, but “Brother Ray.” Brother Ray, we remember you today as well. Thank you for your leadership as an entertainer to allow for acknowledging and thanking God. Thank you for provoking us to gratitude.
America the Beautiful
