| -5/14/2004
- David Amram - Uncle Sam
David Amram was a good friend of Jack Kerouacs and recorded the music
to the Robert Frank & Alfred Leslie legendary 1959 underground classic
film Pull My Daisy. David also appeared in that film and Kerouac provided
the narration in a spontaneous bop prosody. David has had a stellar career
as a musician and composer including the soundtrack to John Frankenheimer
& Frank Sinatras 1962 movie The Manchurian Candidate. He is the author
of two books Vibrations and Offbeat: Collaborating with Kerouac.
David still keeps a very active schedule. You can see for yourself at
www.davidamram.com. He continues to travel all over the world spreading
the Spirit of the Beats with his live performances - and trust me! - you
haven't lived until you've seen David in his energetic verve play three
flutes simultaneously between his French horn and piano riffs!
Regarding today's Beat Quote of the Week, I was wracking my brain all
day as to what I should use for this week's Quote in light of the note
I sent to the newsletter subscriber list yesterday. Should I address the
responses I got from both sides? Should I drop it all together and move
it back into strictly "Beat" mode? FYI, the accolades outweighed
the raspberries about ten to one, although some of the people who sent
the raspberries were very upset with me. Only eight people out of 5000
unsubscribed. And I was reminded by a good friend of the line "I
very rarely learn anything from people who agree with me".
Anyway, David supplied me with the solution in the form of an email to
my inbox that contained the words to a new song he just wrote and is ready
to record and perform in the upcoming weeks. It's best to read this in
a sing/songy tone - and if you've ever seen David perform - picture him
doing it live! -
UNCLE SAM
By David Amram
Driving to the airport, took the
Semoran Boulevard way
Sunny April in Orlando
special kind of day
Passed an old white church
on the front lawn stood a sign
painted with a picture on it
going way back in time
Uncle Sam was on that sign
this is how his message read
"You'll never ever have to explain
something that you never said."
I thought perhaps that Uncle Sam meant
Think before you speak
Still I knew that if you didn't,
he would turn the other cheek.
Cause Uncle Sam was our main man
Top hat, red white and blue
His picture was on every wall
way back in World War Two
He was our inspiration, telling
us to answer freedom's call
his finger pointing at us, saying
"I want YOU!" from every wall
"I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Speak out, be brave, stand tall
Be the best that you can be, and
listen to sweet freedom's call
Remember son, loose lips sink ships,
we must keep our troops alive,
If you think before you speak
our troops and free speech will survive.
Still take my tip and zip your lip
cause someday soon we'll surely win
your silence is golden, don't embolden
those who want to do us in
You know the score, we're in a war
so watch out what you say
we'll all join hands and when we've won
we'll speak out every day.
I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Speak out, be brave, stand tall
Be the best that you can be
and listen to sweet freedom's call
I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Speak out, be brave, stand tall
Be the best that you can be
and listen to sweet freedom's call"
(INTERLUDE)
Well many years have passed us by
since World War Two in '45
that's the year we won the big one
a new one's here, we must survive
Hadn't heard a word from Uncle Sam
I knew I had speak to him
drove by Sam's old apartment house
to see if he was in
The doorman shook his head and said
"I hate to tell you sir, it's tough
Uncle Sam's been sent to jail
they say he's not patriotic enough.
He refused to sign the Patriot Act
he said he couldn't buy it.
they told him that he better just
obey them and be quiet.
Sam handed me this note for you
as they took him away"
I took the paper from the doorman
this is what that note did say
'These new-style patriots despise our
right to speak out and be free
they'll put your ass in jail for life
in the name of Liberty
Maybe now you'll have to explain
something that you never said
'cause you won't be missed if you're on their list
of the missing and the dead"
I read the note and that same night heard
Uncle Sam escaped from jail
They wouldn't let him call or write
or let him out on bail
He called me on his cell phone, saying
"I'm public enemy number one
they never will forgive me for
the things I've always said and done
But I still mean all that I've said
speak out, stand tall, be strong
for all the living and the dead
who still sing our sweet freedom's song
Makes my blood boil to think that oil
has become our daily bread
say what you want, be who you are
to honor the living and the dead
They took all my old pictures down
said I'm not needed any more
There's new-style patriots in town
who want to settle every score
Please hear those voices from the past
of those who died to set us free
to give us hope and peace at last
in our sweet land of Liberty
I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
sometimes I may be wrong
but I am right both day and night
when I sing sweet Freedom's song
Because of all I've said and done
I'm on the run, they're after me
I'm Public Enemy Number One
in our Sweet Land of Liberty
Please keep my picture in your heart
and always share sweet freedom's light
make every day a brand new start
be brave and fight for what is right
Go back to where you saw me last
down Semoran Boulevard way
look at the present and the past
see what it means today'"
Went back again to that old white church
with the faded sign of Uncle Sam
they haven't torn the sign down yet
to be buried in the sand.
I waited on the church front lawn
for Sam to sing his night time song
from darkness till the break of dawn
hoped he'd let us sing along
The Southland sun was going down
We all heard bells of freedom ringing
Dusk fell in Orlando town
and now our Uncle Sam was singing
"I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Speak out, be brave, stand tall
Be the best that you can be
and listen to sweet freedom's call"
(audience Sings along until finale)
"I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Speak out, be brave, stand tall
Be the best that you can be
and listen to sweet freedom's call"
Learn more about David Amram by adding "Pully
my Daisy Audio Cd" to your shopping cart.
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