"Let's All Be Americans Now"
by American Quartet
Sheet music courtesy of Clarence Johnson |
Just like "What Kind of an American are You?" "Let's All Be Americans Now" thumps the drum for loyalty and patriotism, especially those of mixed sympathies, i.e., the hyphenated-Americans against whom such a firestorm had been raised. The lyrics make clear that there was no misgiving about prejudices toward France, England, or Germany, but it demands that "now is the time / to fall in line." Invoking a sense of gratitude seems to be the heart of this type of lyric. Here we are told "you swore that you would / So be true to your vow. / Let's all be Americans now." Invoking some of the icons of the youthful American pantheon, Lincoln, Grant, and Washington, seems intended to lend credibility to a war that is unwanted, but necessary. Indeed the song opens on this apologetic note:
Peace has always been our prayer
Now there's trouble in the air
War is come from everywhere
Still in God we trust
We're not looking for any kind of war
There is an inherent apology for giving up on Wilson's early initiative to avoid war, but it is clear that everyone is expected to sign up. The quotations from "Dixie" and Reveille are intended to shore up the patriotic impulse and the final refrain incorporating the Civil War chestnut, "Rally Round the Flag," invokes the heritage of the American people in a war for right.
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