Youth Activity Archive

A prayerful song asking for divine guidance and protection over the nation.

Due to licensing limitations, The Badge Archive cannot publish the lyrics for this song.

Lyrics and Music by: Irving Berlin
Copyright: © 1938, 1939 by Irving Berlin
Copyright Renewed: © 1965, 1966 by Irving Berlin
Copyright Assigned to: The Trustees of the God Bless America Fund
Status: The lyrics for this song are unavailable.

Recordings

• YouTube – Brentwood Music Archives
• YouTube – Jackie Evancho

History

“God Bless America” was written and composed by Irving Berlin (1888–1989), one of America’s most prolific songwriters. The history of the song spans two world wars. Berlin originally wrote the song in 1918 while serving in the U.S. Army at Camp Upton in New York.

The song was too solemn for the lighthearted show he originally wrote it for. It was filed away in a drawer for twenty years. In 1938, as war was breaking out in Europe, Berlin felt the need for a song of peace. He retrieved the 1918 draft and made several key revisions. Most notably, he changed a line from “Make her victorious on land and foam” to “Stand beside her and guide her,” shifting the tone from a battle cry to a prayer for peace.

The song was introduced to the public by singer Kate Smith during her radio broadcast on November 10, 1938, in honor of Armistice Day. Berlin wrote a special “preamble” (the verse beginning with “While the storm clouds gather…”) specifically for this broadcast to address the growing international tensions of the time. The song became an immediate sensation, with some suggesting it should replace “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem.

In July 1940, Irving Berlin created the God Bless America Fund. He mandated that the fund’s trustees distribute all royalties evenly between two national organizations: the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA.

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