http://essaysbyfox.org/html/essays/
AMERICA
AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME
(The
House I Live In)
Donald
R. Fox
Our
memory is a wonderful gift from our God. Truly, “
I
will praise
thee; for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made:
marvelous
are thy works;
and that my soul
knoweth
right well.”
(Psalm 139:14 KJV) Have
you experienced your memory going back in remembrance of a time past?
Yes, of course, you have. Sometimes our memories can be fearful and
other times exceedingly pleasant. The other day, I started to hum a
very old song I had not thought about it for ages. I would suggest
that if you are not over seventy years old and just maybe closer to
eighty, you never heard this song.
“The
House I Live In
(1945) is a ten-minute short film written by Albert Maltz, produced
by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy, and starring Frank Sinatra. Made to
oppose anti-Semitism and racial prejudice at the end of World War II,
it received an Honorary Academy Award and a special Golden Globe
award in 1946. In 2007, this film was selected for preservation in
the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress
as being “culturally, historical, or aesthetically significant"
(Reference, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
People
forget history in the passing of time. It is very sad to observe
this truism in our own times. Those who fought in WW II are dying
off very rapidly. They have been called, “The Greatest
Generation." Patriotism and Americanism were vibrant during and
after the war. No pass generations are perfect? However, during
this era, Americans understood what it meant in the saying, “God,
Country, Apple Pie and Mom."
There
are eight verses in the song, “The House I Live In." The song
depicts the feelings of patriotism and fair play toward our fellow
man. When the short film and song came out, it became very popular.
Frank Sinatra was a big star and teen-age idol. I remember singing
it in our school along with a study of the lyrics. Following is a
few verses from this song. You will get the emotion of this
meaningful song and the message it presented. In such a time as we
now live, “The House I Live In” should be revisited. Don’t you
think so?
The
house I live in,
My neighbors white and black,
The people who just came here,
Or from generations back;
The town hall and the soapbox,
The torch of liberty,
A home for all God's children;
That's America to me.
The words of old Abe Lincoln,
Of Jefferson and Paine,
Of Washington and Jackson
And the tasks that still remain;
The little bridge at Concord,
Where Freedom's fight began,
Our Gettysburg and Midway
And the story of Bataan.
My neighbors white and black,
The people who just came here,
Or from generations back;
The town hall and the soapbox,
The torch of liberty,
A home for all God's children;
That's America to me.
The words of old Abe Lincoln,
Of Jefferson and Paine,
Of Washington and Jackson
And the tasks that still remain;
The little bridge at Concord,
Where Freedom's fight began,
Our Gettysburg and Midway
And the story of Bataan.
“Righteousness
exalteth
a nation:
but sin
is a reproach
to any people.”
(Proverbs 14:34)(KJV)
“Therefore
all things
whatsoever
ye
would
that
men
should do
to you,
do
ye
even
so
to them:
for
this
is
the law
and
the prophets.”
(Matthew 7:12)(KJV)
“To
the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest
glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian"
(George Washington, May 2, 1778).
Complete
lyrics to “The House I Live In”
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/House-I-Live-In-The-lyrics-Frank-Sinatra/F2CF397D613C49CB4825691F0008BF7C