A song for America’s 250th birthday
I was 24 when America celebrated its bicentennial in 1976. It was massive, an inspirational event I’ll never forget.
In the months leading up to it, the Freedom Train—a 26-car museum pulled by steam locomotives—crossed the country carrying priceless artifacts, including an original copy of the Constitution, George Washington’s personal copy of the Declaration of Independence, even Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.
On July 4, 1976 in Philadelphia, Queen Elizabeth II—a direct descendant of King George III— presented the Bicentennial Bell, cast in the same foundry as the original Liberty Bell that cracked when it first rang on July 4, 1776.
An armada of thousands of vessels, including 16 majestic tall ships, sailed into New York Harbor, cheered on by a crowd of flag-waving Americans who lined its shores. At exactly 2 pm Eastern time—two hundred years to the minute from the approval of the Declaration— church bells, fire sirens, and carillons rang out across the country for two minutes. The three major television networks cleared their schedules for 24 hours of non-stop, wall-to-wall coverage of the celebrations.
In Washington, D.C., nearly a million people jammed the National Mall for a Boston Pops concert highlighted by Sousa marches and the 1812 Overture, capped off by the biggest fireworks display the nation had ever seen.
Marketers went to extreme lengths to tie themselves to the hoopla surrounding the celebration, churning out everything from red, white, and blue Twinkies to a special-edition Chrysler.
One would think our country’s 250th birthday—a literal quarter of a millennium—would warrant an even grander celebration. But apparently it doesn’t. As it approaches, the general attitude is … meh? There’s more excitement about the FIFA World Cup.
Something terrible has warped our national psyche over the last few decades. Abetted by a media that thrives on emphasizing our divisions and has discovered that focusing on negativity is the ultimate source of clicks and views, we have shifted from a fundamentally optimistic people into a deeply cynical one. Polls consistently show a staggering drop in basic patriotism and national pride. The anti-capitalist, anti-Semitic mayor of New York, a city that struggled with loyalty even during the Revolution, recently endorsed (and voters elected) a slate of candidates who apparently despise the system that empowers them. Every day, I see people posting bitter, contemptuous vitriol on social media, actively rooting against the American experiment and their fellow Americans who have the temerity to actually be proud of their country.
Some of you reading this may not feel like our 250th anniversary is worth celebrating. But I do.
So, with the help of collaborators, Google Gemini AI (lyrics) and suno.com (music, orchestration and singers), I’ve written a song that celebrates America and its upcoming anniversary. The song acknowledges that America has had its dark valleys, agonizing struggles, isn’t perfect and will forever be a work in progress.
Its broader purpose is to remind people — especially the doubters and cynics who find themselves wallowing in what we’ve done wrong rather than what we’ve done right — to think, for at least a few minutes, about the goodness that was unleashed upon the world at 2 pm on July 4, 1776.
Please give it a listen and, if you like it, share it. (In case you want to sing along, the lyrics are printed below.)
(Verse 1)
On July the Fourth in Philly, two hundred fifty years ago,
Men signed their names to history, to let the whole world know.
They stood against an empire, defying crown and king,
And risked their lives and fortunes for the freedom we now sing.
The road ahead was rugged, but they faced it in the light,
A nation ever striving to make what’s broken right
From the valleys of our past to the summits of our pride,
A deep and steady goodness is the compass at our side.
(Chorus)
Happy Birthday, America, the land of hope and grace,
Two hundred fifty years in this grand and striving place!
We are a work in progress, but our goodness is the key,
And we’re moving ever forward to the people we should be.
For the doubters and the cynics who claim our sun's begun to set,
We’re just getting started—you ain’t seen nothing yet!
(Bridge)
And the world looked across the oceans, to the beacons on our shores,
They saw the spark of liberty and unlocked freedom's doors.
When the tides of history darkened, and tyrants rose to reign,
Brave men died for freedom to break the captives’ chain.
From factory floors of industry to the dreamer's daring mind,
Our endless tide of progress lifts the world they left behind.
For freedom gives us wings to dream, to invent, and to design,
Sparks of brilliant innovation that elevate … mankind.
(Guitar/Instrumental Solo)
(Verse 2)
So let the banners fly today, let the brass and cymbals ring,
From our shining golden seashores to the mountains where we sing.
We Americans have reason to lift our voices high,
To see the red, the white, and blue against the summer sky.
We are a people bound as one, with a fierce and timeless pride,
With the flame of freedom burning and our goodness as our guide.
(Chorus)
Happy Birthday, America, the land of hope and grace,
Two hundred fifty years in this grand and striving place!
We are a work in progress, but our goodness is the key,
And we’re moving ever forward to the people we should be.
For the doubters and the cynics who claim our sun's begun to set,
We’re just getting started—you ain’t seen nothing yet.
(Outro)
We are just getting started—you ain’t…. seen….nothing …. yet!
