Early life
After the separation of his parents, Lee grew up in Sacramento on the poultry farm of his grandparents. At the age of seven, he began playing the saxophone, and at the age of nine became a member of a dance ensemble. In 1969, he joined the Chester Smith Band and had his first television appearance. A short time later, he worked with the country musician Del Reeves.
He founded his first band, Apollo, in 1962. He briefly battled a cocaine addiction and moved to Iceland to go to rehab. The band, which changed its name later to Lee Greenwood Affair, played mostly pop music and appeared mostly in casinos in Las Vegas. A few records were recorded in Los Angeles with the Paramount label. After the band broke up in the 1970s, Greenwood moved back to Las Vegas, where he worked as a black jack dealer during the day, and as a singer at night.
Career
In 1979, he was discovered in Reno, Nev., by Larry McFaden, the bandleader and bassist of Mel Tillis. After making some demo tapes, Greenwood was signed in 1981 by the Nashville-based MCA label, and McFaden became his manager.
The first single, "It Turns Me Inside Out", made it to a spot in the top 20 of the country charts. Greenwood had written this song for Kenny Rogers, but Rogers turned it down due to the sheer volume of songs he had been offered at the time. "Ring On Her Finger and Time on her Hands" landed him in the country top 10.
He is best known for writing and recording the patriotic song "God Bless the USA" in the early 1980s. "God Bless the USA" gained renewed popularity following the launch of Operation: Desert Storm in 1991, and again, ten years later, following the September 11, 2001 attacks; in fact, the song even re-entered the Top 20 of the country charts in late 2001. Since then, Greenwood has played at many public events and commemorations of the attacks. He supports the United States Republican Party.
Theater
In 1995, Greenwood took a break from his touring schedule to spend time with his wife and newborn son. In his time off, he elected to build a theater in Sevierville, Tenn., and in April 1996, the "Lee Greenwood Theater" opened its doors. This gave Greenwood the opportunity to still perform daily shows, in addition to being with his family. The theater operated for five seasons, and closed for Greenwood to continue touring. The theater was not located in the heavily entertainment and tourist oriented areas of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Gatlinburg, Tenn., which contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church.
battle hymn of the republic
Lee Greenwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,
His day is marching on.
I have read His fiery gospel writ in rows of burnished steel!
"As ye deal with my condemners, so with you My grace shall deal!
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,"
Since God is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free!
While God is marching on.
The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic song that was written by Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. The song reflects on the singer's vision of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, who has come to judge the wicked and bring peace to the world. The first stanza describes the Glory of God as He comes to the world to trample on those who oppose his will. The second stanza describes how the author has seen God's presence in the army and how it has built an altar in his honor. The fiery gospel refers to the word of God and the Hero, born of woman refers to Jesus Christ. The final stanza describes how Christ's crucifixion has brought salvation to mankind and how mankind needs to die to make other men free.
Line by Line Meaning
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
I have witnessed the remarkable arrival of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He is putting an end to the grounds where agony reigns;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
He has unleashed His punishing lightning, which strikes in a flash;
His truth is marching on.
His honesty will continue to be known by all.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Praise be to the Lord!
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
I have spotted Him in the campfires that surround a hundred encampments;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
They have constructed an altar decorated with evening humidity and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,
I can read His ethical verdict through the faint and fluctuating lights,
His day is marching on.
His impact on the world will continue to surge forward.
I have read His fiery gospel writ in rows of burnished steel!
I have perused His passionate gospel inscribed in polished steel rows!
"As ye deal with my condemners, so with you My grace shall deal!
"Those who condemn me shall be condemned, and those who show me grace will be shown the same,
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,"
Let the hero, who was born of a woman, eliminate the serpent by crushing it with his heel,"
Since God is marching on.
Because God's presence and power is evident throughout history, both present and future.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He has declared with confidence a trumpet that will never signal an order to retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
He is examining and assessing the hearts of humankind before His seat of judgement;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
I must hurry and answer him, and I must be joyous in my movements!
Our God is marching on.
Our God is continuously manifesting in the world, impacting everything around us.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
Christ was born on the other side of the sea amid the beautiful lilies,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
With magnificence in His heart, which can transform us all;
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free!
Just as He sacrificed Himself to make others righteous, let us emulate Him and die to free others of suffering!
While God is marching on.
Gods influence continues to spread around and cause immense changes all around us.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JULIA WARD HOWE, ROY RINGWALD, WILLIAM STEFFE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands
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