My friend Laurie who teaches elementary school music said she was tired of the same old patriotic songs, so I wrote her some new ones. First, I did Self-Evident which her students performed on Veteran's Day in 2016. Well, a new school year is here and so is another song!

She left the door wide open for me to write whatever I wanted and I'm a big believer in the importance of remembering our history, so here's what she got.

This one is designed to feature a lot of different soloists or small groups. Some of the parts are sung and others can be spoken. I also envision the different verses being acted out on one side of the stage while the singers are on the other... we'll see how she does it!

If you'd like to use this with your school or community group, please email me for an accompaniment track!

V1

In jolly old England, long ago
The King was George the Third.
He made the people pay a lot of tax, you know,
He was really a tyrant and kindof a turd.

He told you what religion you had to be
And if you made him mad, he'd lock you up and lose the key
But then people heard about America. They said, "Hey, let's go to America!
And be free. Yes, and be free."

CHORUS

And the people said, Oh, King George,
We're getting outa here.
Yeah, the people said, Oh, King George,
Gonna make this message clear.

(instrumental 8 bars)

V2

So they got on their ships and sailed the ocean
To find the new land and be free from oppression
They loved their new home; people came from all over
So they could live here in a land like no other.

Tired and poor, seeking liberty
Those huddled masses, yearning to breathe free
Founded thirteen colonies, each one what it wanted to be.
They were free. Yes, they were free.

CHORUS

And the people said, Hey! King George,
We like it over here.
Yes, the people said, Hey! King George,
We never wanna see you near.

V3

And before long, well, what do you know,
Those thirteen colonies started to grow.
They raised their own food and built their own houses,
And made a great life for their children and spouses.

But ol' King George was greedy and jealous.
He heard we were happy and he got overzealous.
Just ruling England, that wouldn't do, no.
He thought that he should rule America too.
No, that wouldn't do.

CHORUS

And all the people said, No! King George,
Don't come over here!
All the people said, No! King George,
Gonna make this message clear.

V4

Well King George did not like that one little bit
He stomped and he screamed and he threw such a fit
He sent out his armies across the ocean
To scare us and stop the revolution

But the colonies all came together
And said, "We'll stick it out, whatever!
We'll fight hard and we'll fight long
We are united, we are strong."

V5

(spoken)
And pay close attention to this next sentence:
We declare our independence!
America is free! We're serious,
And this is our flag, in case you're curious.

One stripe for each colony, One star for each state.
One nation united. Remember this date:
It's the fourth of July, seventeen seventy six.

(Short instrumental, showing the flag with 13 stars in a circle)

(singing again)
There were many battles in many towns
Where the bullies tried to beat them down
For more than six years, until one happy day
The armies gave up and went away.
(cheering)

CHORUS

And all the people said, Go! King George,
You stay outa here!
All the people said, Go! King George,
And don't come back next year!

And all the people said, So, King George,
You stay outa here!
All the people said, So! King George,
Don't ever wanna see you near.

America, America, America,
America is free.
AMERICA IS FREE!