Why is it that I love my country
And think it best in all the world?
Why do I celebrate her values
And, standing, salute her flag unfurled?
Why do I cherish the Bill of Rights?
Why do I go out and see the lights
Every Fourth of every July
As they let all those fireworks fly
In remembrance of the freedom of America?
Well, I love this land of beauty—
Forever “Home, Sweet Home” to me—
From scenic mile to scenic mile
Stretched out from sea to shining sea
From Niagara Falls, with thunderous quake
Way out to Utah’s Great Salt Lake
And there in the midst, where some call it plain
The sun’s sinking rays illumine fields of amber grain,
Setting fire to the heart of America
I love those guiding beacons
Out on the rocky coasts of Maine
Those trees down in Savannah
All dressed up in their moss of Spain
The fog that vanishes with early morn
The passing breeze through a field of late summer’s corn
A beam of moonlight on Alaskan snow
The Mississippi River’s broad and muddy flow
I love these treasures of America!
I love this finest nation
Not only for its natural splendors,
But like every good American,
I’m grateful for the freedom my Constitution renders
We are free to make petition for our grievance just redress
In peace we may assemble with unobstructed speech and press
And every man as he believes,
May seek his God, his soul relieve
In this, our free America
For the systems of the courts,
Our wise Fathers have laid a foundation fair
For the security of our freedoms
They clearly proved to us they care
For our people to bear arms
The uninfringed right they gave
To preserve equality throughout the land,
They said no man shall be a slave
But surely these freedoms don’t stay with us for free
Every citizen of this nation has immense responsibility
To protect the spirit of America!
Oh, how I'll always love this land
With all our freedoms fiercely bought
By the blood of our great men
Who, unafraid, stood up and fought!
Some passed with honor, died in glory
Some made it home to share the story
Every soldier offers all
To you, to me; from old to small—
The defense of our America
I love the many great examples,
As I look back across the years
Of dedicated men and women
Who have held this country dear
Of folks, in times when conflict reigned
Who persevered, their courage sustained
By the love of country in word and deed
By truly living the American’s Creed,
They have preserved our beloved America
Back in the beginning,
During the Revolutionary War
Washington never gave up,
But endured cold Valley Forge
John Paul Jones refused to surrender
When faced with Britain’s naval host
And “Molly Pitcher” bravely stood
And filled her fallen husband’s post
In 1814, while assisting a friend
Francis Key, on that boat, awaited night’s end
When he saw that flag high
At the breaking of day
He penned our nation’s sweet anthem
As the Brits left the Bay
In the heated battles of the Civil War,
Great leaders stood head to head
While the Yankees and the Rebels
Both fought hard, both mourned their dead
General Grant, a man of “Unconditional Surrender”
Proved to be of the Union a mightily bold defender
While down in Virginia, General Robert E. Lee
Contended bravely for his state, though opposing slavery
These generals of the Union and Confederacy, both the same
Each battled for his duty, lived with honor, not for fame
I love the stories of our valiant troops
From World War I and World War II—
How our boys just kept on fighting
When it seemed impossible, they made it through
Rickenbacker, York, and Pershing,
MacAurthur, Patton, and Doolittle in the sky
On D-Day, Eisenhower’s men kept pushing;
At Iwo Jima, Marines held up our flag to freely fly
And as the years have kept on rolling,
Bringing times of peace and times of strife
I love that even when all’s not perfect,
We have our pursuit of happiness, our liberty, and our life
Because even when terror strikes right here at home,
And our towers fall straight to the ground
We can all band together to clean up the mess
And get in there to finish the round!
Oh, why do I love my country?
Why defend her til I die?
Because I understand her values;
I know what it’s worth for that flag to fly
Oh, why do I love this nation—
Free from tyrant and free from slave?
I dearly love this land of the blood-bought free
Because it’s the home of the world’s finest brave!