HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
So many 4th of July events include music in their festivities - I'll bet you have already discovered this, since we are celebrating America's Independence all this weekend. Most of us have a favorite song (I won't list any here, other than my own personal favorite, leaving many for you to choose from), so this Sunday Singalong (and it's fine to post after this date, too) is dedicated to the freedoms we have in our country as well as the patriotic songs of other nations (I have some non-Americans who read this blog, so feel free to share your country's anthems or patriotic lyrics, even if they aren't in English).
Independence has been won on various levels and by different groups throughout our nation's history, so I am going to suggest the anti-slave song "Oh, Freedom" as my "offering" for today's singalong:
Oh, Freedom! Oh, Freedom!
Oh, Freedom over me
And before I'd be a slave, I'd be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free (saved)!
A more complete listing of verses is on Wikipedia, along with a history of this song (though, sadly, not well-documented). One of the first people I heard sing this was Joan Baez, who performed it in Washington on the famous march in 1963 (my friend, the late Pernell Roberts, reminisced about this concert during one of our last visits - she certainly got the crowd singing along at this event in our nation's history). A video of a more recent version of Joan's singing this can be found on YouTube.
Have a safe and pleasant Independence day, all, and don't forget that this holiday was originated to celebrate our hard-fought freedom. I wish blessings on all our servicemen who continue to protect that element of our lives!
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