It’s not surprising that people in the filk community respond to the upcoming war with songs, either of their own or simply by posting the lyrics of others.
As with many others, I wish for peace
WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE
by Bob Dylan
Oh my name it is nothin’
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I’s taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I’s made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.
Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don’t count the dead
When God’s on your side.
When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.
I’ve learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It’s them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we’re forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God’s on your side.
In a many dark hour
I’ve been thinkin’ about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can’t think for you
You’ll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I’m leavin’
I’m weary as Hell
The confusion I’m feelin’
Ain’t no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God’s on our side
He’ll stop the next war.
bardling
Hmmm…
God on one side? And who’s on the other? Don’t they claim they have god on their side too? And between different kinds of Christians it’s the same god -- between Christians and Muslims it’s also the same god…
That’s a) assuming there is a god and b) he/she/it might well be the same in all the religions.
No, thank you. I’ll let religion be religion and stay away from that. *hugs*
Rob Wynne
Well, of course. Dylan’s entire point is that people say “God’s On Our Side” to excuse whatever horrifying thing they are doing. He no more seriously is proposing that God *is* on our side than Jonathan Swift was proposing that we should actually eat small children to alleviate the hunger problem.
Love,
-R
bardling
No, but given that not everybody notices subtle (or not so subtle) satire, I felt it was worth asking the questions in clear-speak as well.
*hugs* Never fear, I did not think you’d say and mean the God/side thing. 🙂