Childhood Propaganda through Music

[D_Bokk]

In an attempt to remember what I was taught in Elementary School, I began to remember music class the most in spreading pro-american propaganda.

The songs I remember singing are:

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

O beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above thy fruited plain

America, America
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea

For beautiful..for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain..majesties
Above the fruited plain...
America!...America!...
God shed His grace..on thee..
And crowned thy good, with brotherhood
From sea...to shining sea...

America!..America!!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea...to..shining..sea!!

AMERICA!!!...

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

This land is your land, this land is my land
From the Redwood Forest to the New York Island
The Canadian mountain to the Gulf Stream waters
This land is made for you and me.

As I go walking this ribbon of highway
I see above me this endless skyway
And all around me the wind keeps saying:
This land is made for you and me.

I roam and I ramble and I follow my footsteps
Till I come to the sands of her mineral desert
The mist is lifting and the voice is saying:
This land is made for you and me.

Where the wind is blowing I go a strolling
The wheat field waving and the dust a rolling
The fog is lifting and the wind is saying:
This land is made for you and me.

Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking my freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back
This land is made for you and me.

MY COUNTRY, 'TIS OF THEE
My Country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King! A-men.


I don't remember the names of the songs, just pieces of the lyrics. Been awhile, but I'm almost positive there was more... I'm going to keep thinking about this. I am curious about the rest of you though, did you have any songs like this implanting patriotism in you at a very young age? and for those who aren't from America, does your country do the same thing?

EDIT: Added a song

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

It's not propoganda... well it is. But it's silly to denounce a society for attempting to build support for itself. Patriotism and the propogation thereof are to be expected in any society.

The religious crap is inexcuseable and I doubt it would go down today.

But yeah, I sang the same bullshit.

[D_Bokk]

Blind nationalism is harmful for any country.

It was only 10 years (around that anyway) ago for me and 7 years ago for my younger sister who had to sing the same songs. I really doubt that is has changed.

[iwwobblie]

This Land is Your Land was written by Woody Guthrie who was a communist.There are a couple of verse left out of the school version which will tell you what the song was really about:

In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple;
By the relief office, I'd seen my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,
Is this land made for you and me.


As I went walking, I saw a sign there;
And on the sign there, It said, 'NO TRESPASSING.'
But on the other side, It didn't say nothing.
That side was made for you and me.

[Cheung Mo]

A lot of things in America that were created by leftists have been corrupted by the reactionary elite.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the history of the Pledge of Allegiance, for instance.

[The Grey Blur]

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
Quel le fuck? If you weren't so wrapped up in the 'evil propaganda' mentality you would have realised this is just a beautiful song, with or without the extra lines RZ mentioned

[D_Bokk]

Originally posted by iwwobblie+--> (iwwobblie)This Land is Your Land was written by Woody Guthrie who was a communist.There are a couple of verse left out of the school version which will tell you what the song was really about:[/b]
I know, and I specifically left those lines out because I never heard of them in elementary school.

Rage Against The Machine
Quel le fuck? If you weren't so wrapped up in the 'evil propaganda' mentality you would have realised this is just a beautiful song, with or without the extra lines RZ mentioned
How is this song used, is the more logical question instead of "What the fuck?" Without the last lines, the song implies that this land is actually made for you and me, which is as untrue now as it was when the song was written.

Why is the song so beautiful without the last lines?

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Originally posted by [email protected] 31 2006, 12:04 AM
Blind nationalism is harmful for any country.

It was only 10 years (around that anyway) ago for me and 7 years ago for my younger sister who had to sing the same songs. I really doubt that is has changed.
I completely agree that nationalism is bad. Patriotism, however, isn't. I'm not saying it's good either. But it's natural and to be expected. In a "just" society, they wouldn't teach school children that their country is evil and its institutions are to be attacked.

[coda]

We sang "This Land is Your Land' in 2nd grade Elementary school during the 70's. And it probably goes back farther than that.

After that, my really cool hippie 5th grade teacher would bring in his acoustic guitar and we'd sing "Get Together" by the Youngbloods.

Love is but the song we sing,
And fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Know the dove is on the wing
And you need not know why
C'mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev'rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
Some will come and some will go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moments sunlight
Fading in the grass
C'mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev'rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
If you hear the song I sing,
You must understand
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It's there at your command
C'mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev'rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
Right now
Right now!



But, my favorite song of the era was "American Pie". it played on AM radio every morning and I'd have to belt out the song -- the whole 8-1/2 mintues --- before i left the house for 1st grade. I didn't know the song was about Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, but it still didn't make me Patriotic. The Vietnam war was raging, the People were protesting in the streets, i was oblivious, and life was good. it was all peace signs and smiley faces for me. :)

American Pie.
A long, long time ago... I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance,
That I could make those people dance,
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver,
With every paper I'd deliver,
Bad news on the doorstep...
I couldn't take one more step.

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside,
The day the music died.

Soo..Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye?
Singing this will be the day that I die
this will be the day that I die

Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Do you believe in rock n roll
Can music save your mortal soul
Then you can teach me to dance real slow

Well I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Then I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
but I knew that I was out of luck
The day the music died

I started singin'...

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye?
Singing this will be the day that I die
this will be the day that I die

Now for 10 years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But that's not how it used to be

When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
In a voice that came from you and me

And while the King was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

While Lennon read the book of Marx
The quartet kept practice in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

We were singin'

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye?
Singing this will be the day that I die
this will be the day that I die

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with the fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast

It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

'Cause the players tried to take the field,
The marching band refused to yield.

Do you recall what was revealed,
The day the music died?
We started singing

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye?
Singing this will be the day that I die
this will be the day that I die

There we were all in one place
A generation lost in space With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candle stick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend.

As I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan's spell

And as flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw satan laughing with delight
the day the music died.

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father Son and Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died

They were singin'

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye?
Singing this will be the day that I die
this will be the day that I die

[Goatse]

I think those might slightly influence a child's mind... but only if the kid had an IQ of the average US citizen.

It&#39;s better than the religious bullshit we sang at my first school. <_<

[patrickbeverley]

When I was 5 or 6, I had a really cool music teacher who would get the whole school singing "Blowin&#39; In The Wind".

She lives down the road from me now, and she was telling me the other day that when she was at school she had to sing "All Things Bright And Beautiful", complete with a verse that is now usually not sung:

"The rich man in his castle
The poor man at the gate
God made them high and lowly
And ordered their estate"

I prefer the Dylan, as does she.

[RedAnarchist]

When i was in primary school (uk school for kids aged 4-11) we often had something called "hymn practise" where we had to sing hymns - even the Hindu and Muslim kids had to, as far as I can remember. Thankfully i don&#39;t think they do that in primary schools anymore.

[coda]

hey, yeah, patrickBeverly, Thanks for jogging my memory&#33;&#33; -- My music teacher in Elementary school had us singing "Blowing in the Wind" also. Only she wasn&#39;t cool and I believe a few lyrics were omitted. We didn&#39;t sound like Bob Dylan either.... more like the Chipmunks --- and I was kinda shocked when i eventually heard how the real song actually sounded. The first song i actually heard from Bob was "Lay, lady, Lay&#39; probably around 76. Ohhh, and let me not get into what happened in US schools during 1976 --the "Bicentenial" year celebration that went on for the whole entire year. Sheesh&#33; Talk about patriotic&#33; I think every boy and girl in the US had their school picture taken with the Amerikan flag draped behind them that year. :(

[chimx]

we sang raffi.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00004T0EF.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[Invader Zim]

Jerusalem: -

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England&#39;s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England&#39;s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear&#33; O clouds unfold&#33;
Bring me my Chariot of fire.
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England&#39;s green and pleasant land.

[Commie Rat]

Me and my mates just fucked around when they mad us sing the national anthem and the christmas and easter songs.

[The Grey Blur]

Originally posted by [email protected] 3 2006, 06:05 PM
Jerusalem: -

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England&#39;s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England&#39;s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear&#33; O clouds unfold&#33;
Bring me my Chariot of fire.
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England&#39;s green and pleasant land.
Raffi sung that?&#33;

[Commie Rat]

Raffi scares the shit out of me.

[Wanted Man]

We had to sing Christianity-themed songs, and later on hymns and psalms.