I Am the United States

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

To help put our celebration of independence into proper perspective, I present Aladdin from last week's show reciting the inspirational poem "I Am the United States"

I don't know who originally wrote this, but if I ever do, I like to thank him or her for writing this for everyone to share and be inspired!

I am the United States.

I was born on July 4, 1776
and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate.

The bloodlines of the world run in my veins
because I offered freedom to the oppressed
I am many things and many people.

I am the United States.

I am 180 million living souls
and the ghosts of millions who have lived and died for me.
I am Nathan Hale, Paul Revere, Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry
I am John Paul Jones, The Green Mountain Boys and Davy Crockett

I am Independence Hall,the Monitor and the Merrimac
I am Lee, Grant and Abe Lincoln.

I remember the Alamo, the Maine and Pearl Harbor.
When freedom called I answered and stayed until it was over
over there.

I am the Brooklyn Bridge, the wheat lands of Kansas
and the granite hills of Vermont.
I am the coal fields of the Virginias and Pennsylvania
the fertile lands of the West
the Golden Gate and the Grand Canyon.

Ohhhh I am big, I sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Three million square miles throbbing with industry

I am George Washington Carver, Daniel Webster and Jonas Salk
I am more than 170,000 schools and colleges
and 250,000 churches where my people worship God as they think best

I am the roar of a crowd in a stadium
and the voice of a choir in a cathedral

I am Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower
and John F. Kennedy.

Yes, I am the nation and these are the things that I am.
I was conceived in freedom
and God willing, in freedom I will spend the rest of my days.
May I possess always the integrity, the courage and the strength
to keep myself unshackled, to remain a citadel of freedom
and a beacon of hope to the world.

I AM THE UNITED STATES.

I Am the United States

Words of Inspiration by Aladdin

Straight from my vinyl collection, here's a good one from Dot Records.

This is Words of Inspiration by Aladdin, some of his most requested recitations from the Lawrence Welk Show.

It does include material written by Helen Steiner Rice, such as "The Legend Of The Raindrop" and "The Windows Of Gold". But it also include stuff such as "The Cradle To The Cross" by Paul Cunningham, and "The Touch Of The Master's Hand" with words by Myra Brooks Welch and original music by Tex Ritter.

It also has plenty of traditional poems such as "I am the United States", "The Spirit of Forgiveness" and "A Cowboy's Prayer".

Each and every one of these recitations are excellent and uplifting, all in Ultra High Fidelity! Such as this sample, it's titled "Deck Of Cards" written by T. Texas Tyler.

Words of Inspiration by Aladdin