With God on Our Side
Joan Baez feat. Bob Dylan Lyrics

Oh my name it ain't nothin'
I am an ordinary person, my name means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

My age it means less
My age is not important, it does not define who I am or what I stand for.

The country I come from
I come from the Midwest region of the United States of America.

Is called the Midwest
The area where I come from is known as the Midwest region of the United States.

I was taught and brought up there
I received my education and upbringing in this region.

The laws to abide
I was taught to obey the laws of the land.

And that land that I live in
The land I reside in, the United States of America.

Has God on its side
The United States of America is seen as a nation favored by God.

Oh, the history books tell it
The history books recount the events of the past.

They tell it so well
The narration of the historical events is accurate and informative.

The cavalries charged
The cavalry troops rode forward to attack their opponents.

The Indians fell
The indigenous people were defeated and killed during the battles.

The cavalries charged
The cavalry troops rode forward to attack their opponents.

The Indians died
The indigenous people suffered heavy casualties and lost their lives during the conflicts.

Oh, the country was young
The United States, as a nation, was in its early stages of development during these times.

With God on its side
The United States believed it had the backing and support of God during its conflicts.

The Spanish-American
The war between Spain and the United States in 1898.

War had its day
The war lasted for a short period and eventually ended.

And the Civil War, too
The war between the Southern and Northern states of the United States between 1861 and 1865.

Was soon laid away
The conflict was resolved and peace was restored.

And the names of the heroes
The soldiers who fought in the wars were considered as heroes.

I was made to memorize
I was taught to remember and respect the soldiers who fought for my country.

With guns in their hands
The soldiers were armed with guns during the wars.

And God on their side
The soldiers believed that God was on their side during the wars.

The First World War, boys
The first global war between 1914 and 1918.

It came and it went
The war occurred and eventually ended.

The reason for fighting
The motive behind the war was not clear to me.

I never did get
I did not comprehend the cause of the conflict.

But I learned to accept it
I was forced to acknowledge and come to terms with the war's existence.

Accept it with pride
I was taught to be proud of the country's involvement in the war.

For you don't count the dead
The number of casualties during the war wasn't taken into consideration.

When God's on your side
The belief in divine support and assistance during the war overshadowed the loss of life.

The Second World War
The global war between 1939 and 1945.

Came to an end
The war reached its conclusion.

We forgave the Germans
The United States forgave and moved on from Germany's involvement in the war.

And then we were friends
The relationship with Germany improved after the war.

Though they murdered six million
Despite the Holocaust, where six million Jews were killed, and other Nazi atrocities.

In the ovens they fried
The Jews were killed in gas chambers and their bodies burned in the crematorium.

The Germans now, too
Germany is also considered as a nation favored by God.

Have God on their side
The belief that God is standing with Germany overshadows the horrific events of the war.

I've learned to hate the Russians
I was taught to despise and fear the Russians.

All through my whole life
Throughout my existence, this negative perception of the Russians was instilled in me.

If another war comes
Should another conflict occur.

It's them we must fight
The Russians would be the enemy, and we must fight them.

To hate them and fear them
The perception of the Russians is negative, and the emotion of fear towards them is encouraged.

To run and to hide
The perception of the Russians is that they're out to get us, and in response, we should hide or flee.

And accept it all bravely
We should act courageously in the face of this supposed enemy.

With God on my side
The belief that God is watching over us and protecting us during the war prevails over the fear.

But now we got weapons
Currently, we possess powerful weapons of mass destruction.

Of chemical dust
Chemical weapons that can kill masses of people.

If fire them, we're forced to
If these weapons were deployed, it would be a last resort, presumably against a dangerous enemy.

Then fire, them we must
We would have no choice but to use those weapons if forced to, even if it meant great destruction and loss of life.

One push of the button
The launch of these weapons would only require one simple command.

And a shot the world wide
The consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction would affect everyone, globally.

And you never ask questions
During the deployment of such weapons, no one would dare question whether it was the right choice.

When God's on your side
The belief that God is supporting the country would overshadow any questions or second-guessing of the decision.

Through many a dark hour
Through difficult and trying times.

I've been thinkin' about this
I've been pondering this deeply.

That Jesus Christ was
The religious figure of Jesus Christ.

Betrayed by a kiss
The event of his betrayal by Judas Iscariot, in which he was identified by a kiss.

But I can't think for you
Ultimately, you must think for yourself and form your own opinions.

You'll have to decide
It is up to you to determine your own beliefs and ideals.

Whether Judas Iscariot
In regards to the betrayal and actions of Judas.

Had God on his side
Did Judas believe that God was on his side or was his betrayal an action made out of fear or personal gain?

So now as I'm leavin'
As I'm departing and moving on.

I'm weary as Hell
I am extremely tired and exhausted.

The confusion I'm feelin'
The mental turmoil and perplexity I'm experiencing.

Ain't no tongue can tell
It's indescribable, and words cannot express it.

The words fill my head
The thoughts and words are flooding my mind.

And fall to the floor
I am unable to articulate these words and am left feeling powerless.

That if God's on our side
If God is truly on our country's side.

He'll stop the next war
Then, the hoped-for result would be no more wars, as God would intervene to prevent them from happening.