“God Bless America”  is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938.  The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song.  “God Bless America” takes the form of a prayer (intro lyrics “as we raise our voices, in a solemn prayer”) for God’s blessing and peace for the nation (“. . . stand beside her and guide her through the night . . .”).  (More from Wikipedia)

 

As quoted in Wikipedia:  “[Woody] Guthrie was tired of the radio overplaying Irving Berlin’s ‘God Bless America’.  He thought the lyrics were unrealistic and complacent.  Partly inspired by his experiences during a cross-country trip and his distaste for ‘God Bless America’, he wrote his most famous song, ‘This Land is Your Land’, in February 1940; it was subtitled:  ‘God Blessed America for Me’.”  And the original song isn’t nearly so tame as the best known portion; the fourth and sixth verses (which Woody Guthrie himself sometimes omitted in his performances) are much more strident. 

(March 2015)