Berlin, who was Jewish, was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs. Although he never learned to read music beyond a rudimentary level, he composed over 3,000 songs. Many of his songs, including "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", and "There's No Business Like Show Business," left an indelible mark on American music and culture. He produced 17 film scores and 21 Broadway scores, in addition to his individual songs.
For Your Country and My Country
Irving Berlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We know you love your USA
But if you want the world to know it
Now's the time to show it
Your Uncle Sammy needs you one and all
Answer to his call
For your country and my country
It's your duty and my duty
To speak with the sword, not a pen
If Washington were living today
With sword in hand he'd stand up and say
For your country and my country
I'll do it all over again
America has opened up her heart
To ev'ry nationality
And now she asks of ev'ry nation
Their appreciation
It makes no diff'rence now
From where you came we are all the same
The song "For Your Country and My Country" was written as a patriotic song to rally support for the United States military during World War I. The lyrics encourage individuals to put aside their personal beliefs and stand together for the greater cause of their country. The song presents a call to arms and a message of unity in the face of war.
The lyrics acknowledge that individuals from all walks of life, regardless of their nationality, should come together as one to fight for the country. The song states that America has opened up its heart to every nationality and asks for everyone to come together to fight for their country. The song evokes the memory of George Washington, one of the famous heroes of America who would be proud to hear the call to arms, to encourage people to join the fight without hesitation. Every person, the song insists, should consider it their duty to fight for their country.
Line by Line Meaning
We know you love your land of liberty
We understand your deep affection for your homeland that values personal freedom
We know you love your USA
We acknowledge your strong love for the United States of America
But if you want the world to know it
However, if you desire to make this love known to the entire world
Now's the time to show it
The present moment is your opportunity to demonstrate it
Your Uncle Sammy needs you one and all
Your fellow citizens of the United States, represented by Uncle Sam, require the support of each and every one of you
Answer to his call
Respond to his plea for assistance
For your country and my country
In order to protect and preserve both your nation and mine
With millions of real fighting men
Together with numerous brave soldiers
It's your duty and my duty
It is the responsibility of both you and me
To speak with the sword, not a pen
To communicate through the use of weapons, not through written words
If Washington were living today
If George Washington, the first President of the United States, were alive at this moment
With sword in hand he'd stand up and say
With a weapon grasped firmly, he would rise and declare
For your country and my country
For the sake of both your nation and mine
I'll do it all over again
I am willing to repeat all my previous actions
America has opened up her heart
The United States has warmly embraced
To ev'ry nationality
People belonging to every ethnic background
And now she asks of ev'ry nation
And now it implores every country
Their appreciation
To express their gratitude
It makes no diff'rence now
At present, it doesn't matter
From where you came we are all the same
Regardless of your origin, we are all equal
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lisa Simpson
[1st verse:]
We know you love your land of liberty
We know you love your U.S.A
But if you want the world to know it
Now's the time to show it
Your Uncle Sammy needs you one and all
Answer to his call
[Refrain:]
For your country and my country
With millions of real fighting men
It's your duty and my duty
To speak with the sword, not the pen
If Washington were living today
With sword in hand he'd stand up and say
For your country and my country
I'll do it all over again
[2nd verse:]
America has opened up her heart
To ev'ry nationality
And now she asks of ev'ry nation
Their appreciation
It makes no diff'rence now from where you came
We are all the same
Darryl Goss
Interesting ragtime version of this patriotic song.
mike Tackabery
This Gershwin piano roll makes it abundantly clear that Berlin came out of ragtime. What a great songwriter. He IS American music!