With God on Our Side (song)

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For other uses, see With God on Our Side.
"With God on Our Side"
Tom Wilson

"With God on Our Side" is a song by

The Times They Are A-Changin'. Dylan first performed the song during his debut at The Town Hall in New York City on April 12, 1963.[1]

Lyrics

The lyrics address the tendency of Americans to believe that

Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot.[2]

Dylan added an additional verse, written by Aaron Neville, about the Vietnam War for live versions in the 1980s (which was recorded by The Neville Brothers) that ran thus:

In the nineteen-sixties came the Vietnam War / Can somebody tell me what we're fightin' for?

So many young men died / So many mothers cried

Now I ask the question / Was God on our side?[3]

The words from the song "whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side" inspired Tim Rice to write the lyrics of Jesus Christ Superstar from Judas's perspective.[4]

Allegation of plagiarism

The

folk tradition as Dylan in writing the song, having himself borrowed the melody.[6]

Incidents of censorship

In a 1984 interview with David Barsamian, Anthony B. Herbert reported that while serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War, he was asked by a general to stop playing a record containing Joan Baez's version of "With God on Our Side", with the general describing Baez as "anti-military".[7]

Live recordings

Dylan and Joan Baez performed the song as a duet at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1963 and July 1964, and their July 27, 1963 performance was released on Newport Broadside: Topical Songs at the Newport Folk Festival 1963 (Vanguard VSD-79144). The liner notes by Stacy Williams mention Dominic Behan's "Patriot Game", with Williams pointing out that Behan had borrowed the melody from the traditional "The Merry Month of May". Another live recording of Dylan and Baez performing "With God on Our Side", recorded on October 31, 1964, can be found on the album The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall, released in 2004.[8]

A rare post-1960s performance of the song, recorded on November 4, 1975, with extra lyrics, was included on the bonus disc in the box set The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (2019).[9] Conversely, Dylan's performance of the song on the album Bob Dylan Unplugged, released in 1995, significantly omits verses about the Germans and the Holocaust, and the Russians and the Cold War.[10]

Use in films and documentaries

Covers

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Town Hall | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  2. ^ "With God on Our Side | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  3. ^ "With God on Our Side Lyrics". www.lyrics.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  4. ^ "The stormy, surprising history of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'". AP NEWS. 2018-04-01. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  5. ISBN 0-688-05045-X
    .
  6. ISBN 9780385529884
    .
  7. ^ Herbert, 1984. p. 1(transcript)
  8. ^ "The Bootleg Series, Vol 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  9. ^ "Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  10. ^ "MTV Unplugged | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  11. ^ The One in the Middle (liner notes). Manfred Mann. EMI. 1965.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

References

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