LAND OF THE FREE

We live in trying times. Rights we took for granted are being lost. Executive overreach trumps constitutional limits. And democracy itself is in peril. This hardly looks like the country we grew up in.

Out of this turbulence, I felt inspired to write a song—an homage to the stirring protest songs of the ‘60s, whose writers (Dylan, Phil Ochs, Sam Cooke, Stephen Stills, etc.) are icons. But more than just a protest song, it’s a song that reminds us who we are.

The title, of course, comes from “Land of the free, home of the brave,” in “The Star-Spangled Banner” (Francis Scott Key, 1814). So I’m covered by “public domain.”

This was not an easy song to write because I had to check the news daily to make sure there wasn’t some new transgression I had overlooked. To borrow a music industry term to describe what is happening politically: “The hits just keep on comin’.”

A note of appreciation to my singer/producer, Kevin Fisher.

Land of the Free (feat. Kevin Fisher)Ron Ovadia

00:00 / 03:46

LAND OF THE FREE

(feat. Kevin Fisher)

Vocals: Kevin Fisher

Produced by: Kevin Fisher & Ron Ovadia

Piano & Orchestration: Kevin Fisher

Recording, Mixing & Mastering: Kevin Fisher

Cover Art: Grant Maloy Smith

LYRIC

Don’t tell me I’m no patriot

Cuz I don’t toe the line

I know when things aren’t right

I can clearly see the sign

I held freedom in my hands

Now I’m barely holding on

Rights I took for granted

Are rights that could be gone

Now the air is filled with fear

For those who criticize

And truth is being shattered

By a steady stream of lies

Never seen us so divided

We’ve gotten way off track

Need someone to unite us

If we’re ever coming back

We’re the…

Land of the Free

Home of the brave

A place to call your home

A home you want to save

Cuz you don’t know what you’re missing

Till you lose your liberty

Now’s the time for saving

Our democracy

Our values are being assaulted

Our institutions, too

Government “for the people”

Now profits just a few

I hear “Make America Great Again”

But don’t you take the bait

We’re trampling on the very things

That made this country great

Now the lines are clearly drawn

Between those who disagree

But we all want the same thing

We want to be free

Gotta come together

Let’s keep our hopes alive

Do all that’s in our power

For our nation to survive

CHORUS

Left and Right, no need to fight

There’s no place for hate

Remember what we stand for

Before it’s too late

Stand up for freedom

You won’t be alone

Cuz no one wants a leader

Who’s sittin’ on a throne!

CHORUS

So we can be the land of the free!