In Cody Alicea’s Honor: Lee Greenwood Singing “God Bless the USA” Live at the Grand Ole Opry

 


 

God Bless the USA
By Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again,
With just my children and my wife.

I'd thank my lucky stars,
To be livin’ here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
And they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won’t forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
Next to you and defend her still today,
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,
To the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
And New York to L.A.,
Well there's pride in every American heart,
And its time we stand and say.

That I'm proud to be an American,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won’t forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
Next to you and defend her still today,
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I'm proud to be and American,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won’t forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
Next to you and defend her still today,
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

* * *
(See also: “American Flag Banned … in America?! At Yet Another California School, Officials Grant Reconquista Students Veto Right”;

“Johnny Cash: Ragged Old Flag”; and

“Cody Alicea Update: ‘It isn’t Safe for an American Boy to Fly the American Flag in California.’”)

So that no misunderstandings develop, either within or without the Stix household, regarding my having called 13-year-old Cody Alicea a hero of mine: When Bill Cosby’s son, Ennis, was murdered by a carjacker in 1997, Cosby said that his son was his hero. At the time, I ascribed Cosby’s sentiment to a father’s grief, and didn’t take it seriously as a notion. But that was before I became a father, and learned that Cosby was right. A son can be a hero to his own father. My son is one of my greatest heroes, right up there with The Boss and Nana.


Thanks to oprylive and Scout Songs.