I woke up at 2:30 the other morning with two words and a song idea in my head.
I was troubled by NFL players refusing to stand for the national anthem. I found their protest offensive, but also misguided because it foolishly forced fans to choose between supporting the player's cause OR respecting the anthem.
But it didn't have to be that way. Our nation was born with the words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." In America, standing for the anthem honors everyone who stood for American ideals and fought for American values including both military veterans and civil rights pioneers. In America, standing for the anthem IS standing against bigotry!
So I wrote a song called I Stand in hopes it can bring our nation together and help NFL player realize there's a better way.
Here are the lyrics to I Stand. What artist would you like to hear sing it?
I Stand
They sailed on a collision course with evil
They fell on bloody beaches far from home
They died in trenches cold and lonely
And now they lie in endless rows beneath white stones
So, I stand when I hear our beautiful anthem
And I remember what those heroes did for me
I hold my hand over my heart and count my blessings
Because I know my freedom wasn’t free
And it may be a small thing, but it’s how I say thank you
If they ever look from heaven down to me, they’ll see
I stand
They marched from Selma to Montgomery
They walked through angry night sticks and tear gas
They sang we shall overcome
And they dreamed great God almighty free at last
So, I stand when I hear our beautiful anthem
And I remember what those heroes did for me
I hold my hand over my heart and count my blessings
Because I know my freedom wasn’t free
And it may be a small thing, but it’s how I say thank you
If they ever look from heaven down to me, they’ll see
I stand
America’s not perfect yet, I know
And we still have a long, long way to go
But we won’t make much progress sitting down
So, I stand when I hear our beautiful anthem
And I remember what those heroes did for me
I hold my hand over my heart and count my blessings
Because I know my freedom wasn’t free
And it may be a small thing, but it’s how I say thank you
If they ever look from heaven down to me, they’ll see
Until this great country's all that she can be, they'll see
I stand
©Greg Stielstra 2017
Update: On December 12, 2017 a group of Nashville's finest studio musicians recorded the music tracks for I Stand. I'll post a recording of the song to this blog when it's finished.
Update 2: I Stand is done. Michael Lusk sang it. Here's the music video.
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