Johnny Cash ragged old flag
Song Lyrics:
RAGGED OLD FLAG
I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it."
He said, "Have a seat." and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.
"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing 'Say Can You See'.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams.
"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.
"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II...
She hung limp and low a time or two.
She was in Korea and Vietnam;
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.
"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land here she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.
"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare, and she's wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more.
"So we raise her up every morning, we take her
down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground, and we fold
her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."
Analysis in Paragraph Form:
A lot of the language that the artist used within the lyrics of this song are patriotic; the parts that most stood out were the phrases "In her own good land here she's been abused -- She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused...but she's in good shape for the shape she's in. 'Cause she's been through the fire before and I believe she can take a whole lot more." the reason why these words stand out so much to me is because of the meaning that Johnny Cash has inside of the them. For me the message that he is trying to get across is that the country of America has been through so much yet and yet we still carry on. You could say that this song is pro war; but the song ragged old Flag is a patriotic song and its main purpose is to inspire the people of America and encourage them to be proud of the fact that they are Americans.
It is in support of the Munroe Doctrine; which is the foreign policy approach to support other nations which are threatened by outside forces. Johnny Cash mentions the wars that America had assisted with against the communist nations or nations that were being invaded by outsiders, like the Vietnam war, the Korean war, and the wars that took place in the first and second World Wars. It answers the question of how war effects the society; because this song gathers the people together and inspires them to be proud and love the country that they where born in; making them want to assist in any way they can. I do agree with the message in this song because it really does make one proud of the fact that they can be part of this nation called America. Inspiring me as an individual to want to learn more about how she was cultivated and raised into the fine nation she is today.
URL to video performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6vwXbQZvJo&feature=player_detailpage
RAGGED OLD FLAG
I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it."
He said, "Have a seat." and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.
"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing 'Say Can You See'.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams.
"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.
"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II...
She hung limp and low a time or two.
She was in Korea and Vietnam;
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.
"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land here she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.
"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare, and she's wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more.
"So we raise her up every morning, we take her
down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground, and we fold
her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."
- What language of the song stands out to you, catches your attention, etc?
- How does this song present the war? Pro-war or anti-war and how do you know?
- Is this song in support of or critical of the stated foreign policy?
- How does the song answer one of the driving questions?
- Do you agree with the message of the song or not? Why
Analysis in Paragraph Form:
A lot of the language that the artist used within the lyrics of this song are patriotic; the parts that most stood out were the phrases "In her own good land here she's been abused -- She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused...but she's in good shape for the shape she's in. 'Cause she's been through the fire before and I believe she can take a whole lot more." the reason why these words stand out so much to me is because of the meaning that Johnny Cash has inside of the them. For me the message that he is trying to get across is that the country of America has been through so much yet and yet we still carry on. You could say that this song is pro war; but the song ragged old Flag is a patriotic song and its main purpose is to inspire the people of America and encourage them to be proud of the fact that they are Americans.
It is in support of the Munroe Doctrine; which is the foreign policy approach to support other nations which are threatened by outside forces. Johnny Cash mentions the wars that America had assisted with against the communist nations or nations that were being invaded by outsiders, like the Vietnam war, the Korean war, and the wars that took place in the first and second World Wars. It answers the question of how war effects the society; because this song gathers the people together and inspires them to be proud and love the country that they where born in; making them want to assist in any way they can. I do agree with the message in this song because it really does make one proud of the fact that they can be part of this nation called America. Inspiring me as an individual to want to learn more about how she was cultivated and raised into the fine nation she is today.
URL to video performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6vwXbQZvJo&feature=player_detailpage