With God on Our Side
Bob Dylan
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Oh my name it ain't nothin' My age it means less The country I come from Is called the Midwest I was taught and brought up there The laws to abide And that land that I live in Has God on its side Oh, the history books tell it They tell it so well The cavalries charged The Indians fell The cavalries charged The Indians died Oh, the country was young With God on its side The Spanish-American War had its day And the Civil War, too Was soon laid away And the names of the heroes I was made to memorize With guns in their hands And God on their side The First World War, boys It came and it went The reason for fighting I never did get But I learned to accept it Accept it with pride For you don't count the dead When God's on your side The Second World War Came to an end We forgave the Germans And then we were friends Though they murdered six million In the ovens they fried The Germans now, too Have God on their side I've learned to hate the Russians All through my whole life If another war comes It's them we must fight To hate them and fear them To run and to hide And accept it all bravely With God on my side But now we got weapons Of chemical dust If fire them, we're forced to Then fire, them we must One push of the button And a shot the world wide And you never ask questions When God's on your side Through many a dark hour I've been thinkin' about this That Jesus Christ was Betrayed by a kiss But I can't think for you You'll have to decide Whether Judas Iscariot Had God on his side. So now as I'm leavin' I'm weary as Hell The confusion I'm feelin' Ain't no tongue can tell The words fill my head And fall to the floor That if God's on our side He'll stop the next war
The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
8 facts about this song
Release Date & Album"With God On Our Side" is a track from Bob Dylan's third album, "The Times They Are A-Changin'," which was released in 1964.
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GenreThe genre of the song is folk, which is a hallmark of Dylan's early career. It's recognized for its powerful and deeply introspective lyrics.
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Lyrics ThemeThe lyrics of "With God on Our Side" comment on the philosophy that justifies war by placing God on one side, highlighting the questionable morality of such belief. Dylan walks through various historical events, including World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.
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Live PerformancesA 10-minute live version of the song was recorded in 1988 during the Never Ending Tour and was included in Dylan's album "The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration".
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Covert ReferencesThe song refers to various military engagements in American history, but Dylan never specifically mentions Vietnam, although the conflict was escalating at the time the song was written and released.
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ControversySome critics compared the tune of "With God on Our Side" with an earlier folk song, "The Patriot Game" by Dominic Behan. Dylan was accused of 'borrowing' the melody from Behan's song.
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Political ImpactThis song is considered one of Dylan's most poignant and powerful political statements, it drove the folk music's turn into 'protest music' during the civil rights movement and the escalating Vietnam War.
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CollaborationsIn 2003, Dylan played a duet version of the song with Joan Baez during his performance at The Newport Folk Festival, focusing on the civil rights and anti-war themes.
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Citation
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"With God on Our Side Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Sep. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/17058908/Bob+Dylan/With+God+on+Our+Side>.
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