Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The House I Live In

This week, Ed and I are in New Jersey, just across the river from New York City. We rented a car for a meeting we had to go to (which I will tell you about in another post) and thought while we had the car, we'd go check out Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

From this location, you can take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. We didn't have time to do either of those things on this visit - I've been to Ellis Island, but never the Statue of Liberty - but we thought we'd get a few pictures, take a walk along the water, and people watch.

My regular camera is on the blink, so I only had my iPhone with me, but I think I got a pretty decent shot of Lady Liberty. I'm not super-patriotic, in the rah-rah flag-waving chanting USA! USA! sort of way, but every time I see the Statue of Liberty, I think of a song called "The House I Live In". It was written by Lewis Allan, with music by Earl Robinson, but I first heard it sung by Frank Sinatra. Here are the lyrics:

What is America to me?
A name, a map, or a flag I see?
A certain word, democracy?
What is America to me?

The house I live in, a plot of earth, a street
The grocer and the butcher, and the people that I meet
The children in the playground, the faces that I see
All races and religions, that's America to me

The place I work in, the worker by my side
The little town or city where my people lived and died
The "howdy" and the handshake, the air of feeling free
And the right to speak my mind out, that's America to me

The things I see about me, the big things and the small
The little corner newsstand and the house a mile tall
The wedding in the churchyard, the laughter and the tears
The dream that's been a-growin' for a hundred and fifty years

The town I live in, the street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city, or a garden all in bloom
The church, the school, the clubhouse, the millions lights I see
But especially the people
That's America to me

I think the Lady in the harbor would agree, don't you?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2011:
Through Chicago To Cheese Country
2010: Ghost Rider
2009: I Only Think I Know A Lot Of Things…Here Are Ten Of Them
2008: Texas Love Bugs And Hurricanes
2007: Pimping For Presidency
2006: Demographics Of A Lifetime
2005: Glacial Impact

3 comments:

Belledog said...

A meeting you had to go to?

Q: How do you keep a jackass in suspense?

A: You're doing it, Salena.

Beautiful photo.

NYTimes had slideshow today of a new park that opens October 24.

Four Freedoms Park, honoring FDR, designed by the late, great Louis Kahn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/arts/design/louis-kahns-franklin-d-roosevelt-four-freedoms-park-to-open.html?ref=nyregion

On Roosevelt Island, with an amazing view.

Gil said...

Great shot of the "Old Girl"! Never been to the island, but passed it so many times on the SI ferry when we used to go to my grandparents bungalow in 'Bungalow Town' at South Beach on Staten Island.

Scott said...

I ♥ NY