WXPN asked Philadelphia artists one simple question
What does independence mean today?
The answers became Philly Anthems—twelve original songs commissioned from established artists and seven emerging musicians, each offering a different perspective on freedom, identity, belonging, and hope.
This summer and fall, WXPN will premiere each song, tell the story behind it, and introduce the artist who made it.
Summer Releases
The project concludes on Record Store Day in April 2027 with a Philly Anthems album collecting all the songs, WXPN’s annual vinyl release.
Grace Gardner | Backspin
Backspin
Listen to the song
Grace on the song
I’ve had the privilege of seeing so much of the United States, particularly the roads less traveled, due to the nature of my work as a touring artist. While many of my guiding values and causes didn’t necessitate much explanation for me to know and fight for the importance of human rights, residing so much in rural parts of the country only deepened that fight. This song is meant to serve as a letter to anyone of any affiliation that confronting and breaking from your prejudices, and refocusing on central tenets like autonomy, empathy, and community, will be a deeply enriching decision. This song also doesn’t ask for perfection of its audience, and admits a lack of perfection in me, the writer; it instead asks for active listening, care, and tenacity. The song’s title, “Backspin,” refers to a repeating motif in the bridge that calls for forward motion while changing our current direction—not a halt or a reversal, but a shift.
Written by
Grace Gardner
Recorded, engineered & produced by
Grace Gardner, Lonnie Davis
Mixed & mastered by
Lonnie Davis
“Backspin” written by Grace Gardner
singing your praises
losing your feet
making your statement, laden
when you’ve never seen what they’ve seen
everything’s safer
when nothing comes free
placing your wagers, savor
the taste of veiled defeat
and you need a way to beat it
eye to eye with what’s beneath
die trying to keep it
a shoe for a eulogy
old engraved memories
down where i’m from
some so mistaken, a nation
limited by their eyes shut
and i’ve been that neighbor
i’ve turned a red cheek
nose up to nature, labor
when i’d never seen what they’d seen
and i thought i was fearless
on the road following a dream
by a dry nebraska clearing,
i got what they really mean
there’s always leaving,
and too, another way to be
if you’re close enough to hear it
she’ll tell you what she really needs
we the people, when we hide from each other,
blood and thunder come out to play
keep you feeble, bend the knee to big brother
bounty hunters make no mistakes
divine and righteous, they hunt from their comforts
consent of the governed be damned
they will tell you to lose your sense of wonder
it’s a ruse to keep the noose in their hands
and you can watch it happen,
make a bet and cash in
or you can take a buried hatchet
and throw it on a backspin
you can watch it happen,
make a bet and cash in
or you can take a buried hatchet
and throw it on a backspin
you can watch it happen,
make a bet and cash in
or you can take a buried hatchet
and throw it on a backspin
you can watch it happen
make a bet and cash in
or you can take a buried hatchet
haven’t you had it?
so head down that highway
since they’re already here
leave something in the rearview, near you
but don’t let it disappear
you’ll feel like it’s blind faith
you’ll shut up and you’ll scream
you’ll ride from the basin to the plains and
you’ll get what they really mean
Sug Daniels | Are You With Me
Are You With Me
Listen to the song
Sug on the song
The lyrics from this song came in collaboration with my good friend and mentor, John Faye. They were inspired by the need to bring people together to fight against a common enemy. To me, that common enemy is the worst and most dangerous villain of them all: complacency.
I called up John before we sat down to write and we chatted about my ancestors being brought here against their will, his mother coming from Korea to make a better life for them, and our Indigenous family being systematically pushed into the background. Most importantly, we chatted about how we were all handed this life. This prompted us to think about our shared desire to leave this country better than it was given to us and inspired the call-to-action chanting in the chorus. We discussed the isolating aspects of individualism in America—how alone we often feel small and hopeless, but together we feel like a powerful and unstoppable force. We felt inspired by how in our young country’s history the people before us collectively ended segregation, granted women the right to vote, and abolished slavery.
This song is dedicated to the working class, who have planted roots and are invested in improving their own lives, and those of their families and neighbors. I know if anyone will be able to make the changes needed to create liberty and justice for all, it is us.
Lyrics by
Sug Daniels, John Faye
Produced by
John Faye, Sug Daniels
Vocals
Sug Daniels
Vocals, guitars
John Faye
Drums
Alex Clayton
Alto, baritone & tenor saxophone
Frankie DeRosa
Piano
Robbie Simmons
Mixed & mastered by
Robbie Simmons
“Are You With Me” lyrics by Sug Daniels and John Faye
So many things that I want for you, baby
Maybe I’ll never have them myself
Can’t stand on the sidelines
Dreams get deferred
when they’re left up on a shelf
Fire in the sky
Creek overflowing
Farmers in the field
With a great unknowing
I’m not waiting
For someone to come save me
Are you with me
are you with me
Sit in the shade of a tree that I planted
to tell the truth of experienced lived
Take what you need
But don’t take it for granted
“Proud Mary” said
Be happy to give
The race goes on
Long after we’re gone
The only thing to do is pass the baton
I’m not waiting
For someone to save me, oh
Are you with me, are you with me
I’m not waiting
For someone to save me
I’m not waiting
For someone to save me, oh
Are you with me, are you with me
I’m not waiting
For someone to save me
Every night when I lay down
I feel it in my chest
It took a whole lotta bad bad people
To make this fucking mess
I’m not waiting
For someone to save me, oh
Are you with me, are you with me
I’m not waiting
For someone to save me, oh
Are you with me
are you with me
Cause i’m with you, you
are with me
are with me
Cause i’m with you, you
Are you with me
Are you with me
Black Buttafly | That's Home
That's Home
Listen to the song
Black Buttafly on the song
THAT’S HOME Everyday it seems like people’s hearts bleed With no hope for a better day to come The city’s changing fast But will the children last To know what it feels like to call a place home A place to grow And a place to thrive A place to live And not just be alive A city that’s built for you and I That’s what I, I call home It’s the places that we go It’s the people that we know It’s the love that we show It’s where the children play It’s somewhere to be safe That’s what I call home History may fade And murals may come down But know that remembrance is a key to love But when I look around I see So much possibility For love to win In time again Where laughter lives And tears may fall As long as I have a neighbor to call To ease my pain away And remind me of a place A place that I, I call home It’s the places that we go It’s the people that we know It’s the love that we show It’s where the children play It’s somewhere to be safe That’s what I call home Joy Peace Love That’s home (x4) That’s home
Written & composed by
Kayla Childs (Black Buttafly)
Produced by
Kayla Childs
Mixed by
Kayla Childs
Engineered by
Steve Mckie
Recorded at
Studio Pine
Mastered by
Benjamin F. Thomas
Performed by
Black Buttafly
Lead vocals
Kayla Childs
Background vocals
Kayla Childs
Wurlitzer
Kayla Childs
Drums
Steve Mckie
Guitar
Anthony DeCarlo
Bass
Eric Whatley
Percussion
Charlie Hall
“That’s Home” by Black Buttafly
Everyday it seems like people’s hearts bleed
With no hope for a better day to come
The city’s changing fast
But will the children last
To know what it feels like to call a place home
A place to grow
And a place to thrive
A place to live
And not just be alive
A city that’s built for you and I
That’s what I, I call home
It’s the places that we go
It’s the people that we know
It’s the love that we show
It’s where the children play
It’s somewhere to be safe
That’s what I call home
History may fade
And murals may come down
But know that remembrance is a key to love
But when I look around I see
So much possibility
For love to win
In time again
Where laughter lives
And tears may fall
As long as I have a neighbor to call
To ease my pain away
And remind me of a place
A place that I, I call home
It’s the places that we go
It’s the people that we know
It’s the love that we show
It’s where the children play
It’s somewhere to be safe
That’s what I call home
Joy
Peace
Love
That’s home (x4)
That’s home
The Bul Bey | North Star
North Star
Listen to the song
The Bul Bey on the song
I wrote this contribution to Philadelphia’s 250th, “North Star” as a nod to Frederick Douglass’s abolitionist newspaper. It is an anthemic look at a city whose social and civic fabric has frayed. Some would even argue it was never as strong as we pretended. Starting from that tension, I explore as many opposites as I can, pairing stark realities with a reflective, hopeful turn. The chorus asks, “How’d I get lost?” and answers, “Found my north star.” Holding myself to the standard set by the city’s greats, I’ve written this with bridge-building spirit. Producer and engineer Julian Harris (@jmakes.music) brings the record fully to life, joined by additional vocals from emerging Philadelphia singer ANGELCONCEPCION.
Written & performed by
The Bul Bey
Additional Vocals
ANGELCONCEPCION
Produced by
Julian Harris
“North Star” by The Bul Bey
I’ve been chasing after freedom but I think I’m wearing ankle weights
250-year marathon; think I need some Gatorade
Open wounds deep lacerations but I think I’m doing A-Okay
How’d I get lost? (2x)
Found my North Star
We not on the same page, not at all, my citys functionally illiterate,
You probably on your phone now distracted while you listen
I’m passionate. I’m difficult
I’ll ask again they pivoting
My passport says American my president’s a criminal, I know
These contradictions all too well, it’s intimate
These stars, and all these stripes, and dysfunctional patterns I’m living in
I’m proud of us. I’m sick of it,
The cries of hope are androgynous but the tears are all indigenous
So please raise your glasses. The debates are always spirited
Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, you know I’m out here getting it
It’s somewhere on the horizon but I do not know what the distance is yeah
I think I’ll ask an immigrant
I’ve been chasing after freedom but I think I’m wearing ankle weights
250-year marathon; think I need some Gatorade
Open wounds deep lacerations but I think I’m doing A-Okay
How’d I get lost? (2x)
Found my North Star
It may not seem like it, but I’m not your opponent
I mean I love you very much. My nostrils is open
It’s been $250 years. I just thought you would notice
You cut your nose to spite your face, you’ll take horrible photos
You smell me, I’m flush with ideas on how to fix it. Take one,
On second thought, my conscience is bloated
Give me your poor and huddled masses that nobody wanted
I’ll show you empires fall apart but the families are stronger
And I’ll build monuments to our accomplishments, and all those times we get nothing but we still made something out of it. I’m proud of us
The richest nation in the world making poor decisions
dysregulated nervous systems, avoidant, malignant
JR Everhart | Bells of July
Bells of July
Listen to the song
JR on the song
As an avid student of American history, I found myself looking forward to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Soon, however, feelings of anticipation turned to dread as I was confronted with images of brutality, war, and division. The ticking of the clock counting down to 250 years of the United States started sounding like the knelling of a funeral bell. Refusing to be completely discouraged, I imagined what the country’s mood must have been like in 1776 amid the blustering musket fire and rumble of cannon, and decided that times of chaos and strife are precisely when we are driven to make a change. “Bells of July” can thus be viewed as an anthem—not celebrating a country, but offering a stark warning that history repeats itself if we fail to learn from it. The same bells that rang for liberty back then are still swinging more than ever today.
Written & produced by
JR Everhart
Lead vocals, electric guitar & acoustic guitar
JR Everhart
Drums & percussion
Josh Friedman
Electric guitar
Justin Mazer
Bass
Tyler Yoder
UDO synth & Casiotone organ
Logan Roth
Fiddle & vocals
Kiley Ryan
Vocals
Ali Wadsworth
Engineered by
Josh Friedman
Mastered by
Charlie Stavish
“Bells of July” written by JR Everhart
Every now and then, there’s a changing of the guard
From the walls of Jericho to the blood stained boulevard
it’s not so obvious, but it happened once before
some folks got tired of the pounding at their door
Ring, ring go the bells of july
That’s them pounding in my brain
Oh mama I think I can fly
So deep in the American Dream
I’ve never been so hungry, and I’m too tired to fight
But when it’s time to eat the rich, I’ll bring my appetite
I see you grinding, churning in the pit
Dip the feather in the ink and put a stop to it
Ring, ring go the bells of july
That’s them pounding in my brain
Oh mama I think I can fly
So deep in the American Dream
Ring, ring go the bells of july
That’s them pounding in my brain
Oh mama I think I can fly
So deep in the American Dream
So deep in the American Dream
Don’t sleep on the American Dream
Moustapha Noumbissi | America
America
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Moustapha on the song
America is not her government. Nor is it her policies, or institutions, infrastructure, or economy. Or even her geography. America is her people. A collection of people from innumerable backgrounds that have come together to make this place home. I believe “We”, her people, deserve a home that we are proud of. A home that fulfills its responsibility of being a place of love, care, and refuge. An America that is beautiful for everyone.
Written & performed by
Moustapha Noumbissi
Production & Wurlitzer
Lee Clarke
Production & electric guitar
Charley Coin
Drums
Mikey Mester
Pedal steel
Will Currier
Mixed & mastered by
Charley Coin at Soundchild Studio
“America” by Moustapha Noumbissi
The land of equal opportunity
Sounds like a pipe dream too big
Only real in campy sing along’s
This land was made for you and me
Chained down by the evil eye
You sold yourself to the big beautiful lie
Your rolling hills and your fertile lands
Pimped out by greedy men with a plan
You gotta make me a believer if you can
Make me a believer till the end
America the beautiful
We need you beautiful for everyone
You declared yourself the land of freedom
So free all your people now
America wake up
What are you doin
Your people hurt who are you foolin
You preach life, liberty, pursuit of happiness
So how did we become the enemy?
You gotta make me a believer if you can
I wanna be a believer till the end
America the beautiful
We need you beautiful for everyone
You declared yourself the land of freedom
So free all your people now
America the beautiful
We need you beautiful for everyone
You declared yourself the land of freedom
So free all your people now
Free all your people now
Free all your people now
I believe in all your biggest dreams
Lady Liberty, you’re the one for me
I know what’s hiding underneath the scars
Lady Liberty, you’re not a tragedy
High tide is coming
And soon the walls are caving in
I hope your coming
Cause I’ll be standing right here till the end
America you are my home
I’m not ashamed to say so
America you are my home
I’m not afraid to say you can be better
You need to be better
America you are my home
And I believe that you will be better
You will do better
The Flying Vees | Workman's Song #1
Workman's Song #1
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Workman’s Song #1 was our attempt to explore the concept of freedom in an authentic and relatable way. In spite of the widespread messaging that we receive as Americans about how fortunate we are to be free, the truth for most working people is more complex.
This song tries to capture what it feels like when the promise of personal liberty is constantly being dangled just out of reach. It speaks to the cognitive dissonance Americans experience as they continually defer their own personal fulfillment in order to do what is often back-breaking and monotonous labor. We want Workman’s Song #1 to be an anthem for regular people who feel overwhelmed and overlooked. In order to truly liberate working-class people, we need to first strip away the nationalist propaganda that obscures their lived reality and acknowledge their struggle. We hope this song helps do that.
Vocals & percussion
Hannah Taylor, Brechyn Chace, Shannon Vasile, Caitlin Ramsey
“Workman’s Song #1” by The Flying Vees
My freedom starts tomorrow
Today I make my rent
And so I toil through the day
My hands are full my back is bent
My hands are full my back is bent
My freedom starts tomorrow
Today I work my shift
I have no time to sit and dream
My knees are sore, my neck is stiff
My knees are sore my neck is stiff
Ooooo I was born to be free
A pity my landlord
Does not agree
My freedom starts tomorrow
Today pay my debts
One day I will do as I please
That time it hasn’t happened yet
That time it hasn’t come
Oooo I was born to be free
A pity my landlord
Does not agree
My freedom starts tomorrow
Today I make my rent
And so I toil through the day
My hands are full my back is bent
My hands are full my back is bent
Oooo I was born to be free
A pity my landlord
Does not agree
Oooo I was born to be free
A pity my landlord
Does not agree
Second Star | American Dream
American Dream
Bonus track. Written by Alexis Cunningham and Eric Bazilian.
Listen to the song
Second Star on the song
“American Dream,” was sparked by WXPN’s America 250 project and explores the distance between the promise of the American Dream and the complicated reality of living inside it – its “poison and poetry,” which inspired the name of the our forthcoming EP.
Performed by
Second Star
Written by
Alexis Cunningham, Eric Bazilian
Recorded, produced & mixed by
Eric Bazilian
Vocals
Alexis Cunningham
Guitars, bass, programming & backing vocals
Eric Bazilian
“American Dream” by Alexis Cunningham and Eric Bazilian
There goes my American dream
I watch the credits roll on the final scene
250 years of movie stars and football teams
I’m just a runner up facing the crowd
Dying to scream, praying I make it out
Miss American pie, she is poison and poetry
I can’t look away from this war on my sanity
That’s what you get when you get what you wanted
There goes my American dream
There goes my American dream
There goes my American dream
There goes my American dream
Red, white, and blue, the money tastes so green
Everybody’s got a lie to sell
And if you dress it up, it’ll go down well
I’m in the background stuck playing my part
Chasing the flickering light in the dark
Miss American pie, she is poison and poetry
I can’t look away from the war on my screen
That’s what you get when you get what you wanted
There goes my American dream
There goes my American dream
There goes my American dream
Devon Gilfillian | Ways To Go
Ways To Go
An original song. Written by Devon Gilfillian and Julie Williams.
Listen to the song
Bob Bumbera interviews Devon
Devon on the song
“Ways To Go” is a song about what I hope for this country. We really have come a long way, but we have still not reckoned with our country’s ugly past, and frankly, we have an administration that is trying hard to erase the past and to muffle the voices of the few.
“This song is a cry for hope and the belief that we will get to the other side of the polarizing times we find ourselves in.”
Devon Gilfillian
- Written by
- Devon Gilfillian, Julie Williams
- Produced by
- Devon Gilfillian, Jonathan Smalt
- Devon Gilfillian
- Vocals, guitar
- Jonathan Smalt
- Drums, percussion
- Antoine Katz
- Bass
- Engineering & mixing
- Reid Leslie at Summit Sound Studios in Nashville, TN
“Ways To Go” written by Devon Gilfillian and Julie Williams
V1:
When I was young in school we sang about the free
About a brotherhood from sea to shining sea
But father told me a different story I believe
Of people fighting for their rights and singing in the streets
It’s in the past you say
I don’t believe it
The pain, the joy, the hope it stays,
I still feel it
My father’s words are echoing
You’re not alone
Truth is loud, love is strong
A change is gonna come
Chorus:
Oh, I can hear it now
No, it won’t be longer
Freedom ringing loud
We can make it stronger
And we’ve come a long way
We got a long way to go
But we’ll make it yes I know
V2:
The winds of justice, picking up and blowing strong
You might not see it, but it can lift up any stone
Erasing what was won by drawing up their lines
I’d like to see them try cause you know love you can’t divide
Chorus:
Oh, I can hear it now
No, it won’t be longer
Freedom ringing loud
We can make it stronger
And we’ve come a long way
We got a long way to go
But we’ll make it yes I know
Bridge:
We gon’ make it
We gon’ make it
We gon’ make it
We gon’ make it
We gon’ make it
We gon’ make it
We gon’ make it yea
Chorus:
Oh I can hear it now
No, it won’t be longer
Freedom ringing loud
We can make it stronger
And we’ve come a long way
We got a long way to go
But we’ll make it yes I know
Christian McBride | Pick A Card
Pick A Card
An original composition written by Christian McBride.
Listen to the song
Bob Bumbera interviews Christian
Christian on the song
“Somewhere between that paper and practice
is a lot of static.”
When the question is asked, what does America 250 sound like to you? Obviously, you can get so many different images and have so many different feelings, emotions and thoughts. I think of America as being this melting pot of somewhat disjointed ideas and many different interpretations of what freedom is. It almost feels like we’ll never be able to get on the same page.
On paper, what the Declaration of Independence says and what’s written in the Constitution of the United States looks incredible. On paper, it’s absolutely perfect. But somewhere between that paper and practice is a lot of static.
Read more
I feel like everyone in America finds their crew, and now there’s a bunch of crews around the country who only hang with that crew. They don’t really understand what freedom means to another crew, what another crew is thinking, or why they think that way.
That’s where I came up with the title of “Pick A Card,” because I imagine a person who has never been to America before looking at Uncle Sam dealing some cards and basically saying, “Hey, pick one.” You might get lucky and find some version of freedom that you understand.
What I tried to do with the piece is write a melody that sounds somewhat traditionally patriotic, whatever that might mean. Something like “Battle Hymn of the Republic” or “God Bless America,” along that type of melodic shape, with the march.
Then the trombone comes in, and that’s the trombone’s version of freedom. The trombone says, “Well, wait a second. This is how I feel about what you just said about freedom. I feel that it’s this.” Then the piano at some point says, “Well, wait. If you guys feel that way, then I feel like this.”
So there are three distinct versions of so-called freedom going on, but the main theme is still going on underneath as somewhat of a shadow. That’s how I hear America 250. A lot of conflict, a lot of unwillingness to bend on anyone else’s interpretation. But you somehow put that all together, and it makes some type of music.
“I think of America as being this sort of melting pot of disjointed ideas and many different interpretations of what freedom is. So that’s where I came up with the title of Pick A Card, because I imagine a person who has never been to America before looks at Uncle Sam dealing some cards and basically says, ‘Hey, pick one,’ and you might get lucky to find some version of freedom that you might understand.”
Christian McBride, in conversation with Bob Bumbera
- Christian McBride
- Composition and upright bass
- Byron Landham
- Drums
- Orrin Evans
- Piano
- Jeff Bradshaw
- Trombone
- Recording
- Chris Williams at WXPN FM in Philadelphia
Lady Alma | Liberty
Liberty
An original song. Lyrics and performance by Lady Alma.
Listen to the song
Bob Bumbera interviews Lady Alma
Lady Alma on the song
I’ve seen injustices, not just with, you know, our Black folk, but I’ve seen injustices with our Caucasian families and injustices with our Asian families and it’s always the big guy against the little guy. They seem to get liberty, but when it comes to the people who built this country, who helped forge neighborhoods and communities, how come we never can get our right to liberty?
“People need to get together and with the power that they have when they stop fighting each other, fight the real problem. That was an inspiration for the song.”
Lady Alma, in conversation with Bob Bumbera
- Lady Alma
- Lyrics and performance
- Marley Marl
- Produced by
- 88 Fingerz
- Co-produced by
“LIBERTY” by Lady Alma, produced by Marley Marl, written by Alma Horton
(in these streets) x7
chorus
What we need
Liberty
What we need
Liberty, liberty
What we need
Liberty
1st verse
Life can have you feeling scattered.
Displaced and shattered
Need some answers for the madness.
Seeing hope through the sadness.
chorus
Find a way
What we need
Find a way
Liberty
Find a way
What we need
Find a way to get Liberty
Liberty, Liberty
Is what we need
What we need
In our streets
Liberty
2nd verse
Break the chains that bind.
See the light clear path you’ll find.
Happiness is your destiny.
Self preservation for inner peace.
Although pain can beat you down.
Get back up reach for the prize.
Love is wealth if nothing else.
Let’s find a way to center self.
chorus
What we need
Liberty
(Find a way) 4x
What we need
What we need is a little liberty
Yes we do, Yes we do
Liberty, liberty
We got to take back our lives
What we need
And lets do what is right
Liberty
Give liberty in the street
Oh what we need
What we need
Liberty
What we need
Is Liberty
bridge
(Like a phoenix we shall rise
Limits not the sky) 8x
Keep rising, keep rising
Keep rising, keep rising, rising
For liberty in the streets
Keep rising, keep rising
Keep rising, keep rising
For liberty in our streets
Keep rising, keep rising
For liberty in the streets
(in these streets) 4x fade
Eliza Hardy Jones | America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
An original song. Music and lyrics by Eliza Hardy Jones.
Listen to the song
Bob Bumbera interviews Eliza
Eliza on the song
A hootenanny, a cathartic sing-along
in the tradition of American folk music as an act of resistance.
For all 250 years of this nation, we have come together to make music, connect to our community, to celebrate and to mourn. The lyrics reference famous patriotic speeches and songs, from Lincoln’s “last best hope of earth” to Jefferson’s “tree of liberty” to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.”
I wrote the song with the idea that it would be true at any moment in our history, not just relevant to the current moment. We have always been a country founded on the revolutionary dream of true freedom and equality for all, but also built on stolen land by stolen bodies. The inherent dissonance of being a beacon of love of liberty, while also perpetrating violence and oppression, is the true American experience. And as Americans, we must continue to fight for the “better angels of our nature.”
“I’m such a history nerd. I really thought about what makes a song an anthem, and about patriotic music, and about the role of music in terms of protest and resistance in this country. Woody Guthrie, and Odetta, Paul Robeson, all these people who really used music to shift the cultural landscape, to shift the political landscape.”
Eliza Hardy Jones, in conversation with Bob Bumbera
- Eliza Hardy Jones
- Music, lyrics, and recording
- Contributions
- Anthony LaMarca, Nikolai Fox, Janka Perniss, Daniel Hart, Ben Alleman, Todd Starlin, Eliza Becker, Andrew Jones
- Mixing
- Nick Krill
- Mastering
- Alex DeTurk
America the Beautiful music and lyrics by Eliza Hardy Jones
The last best hope of the earth just put another kid in a cage
We’re all born to be free to kiss the ring and dig our graves
It’s a party in the USA where we left another child to die
America the beautiful, but only if you close your eyes
Our crowning good of brotherhood, all yearning to be free
To manifest a kingdom where we claim our destiny
It’s a party in the USA, let’s drop another bomb from the sky
America the beautiful, but only if you close your eyes
America the beautiful, send your “tempest-tost” to me
Built on a dream, but the dreamers couldn’t see
That shining city on the hill belongs to everyone that breathes
Don’t let the rich men write the story, tell you who’s the enemy
When every heart’s a branch on the tree of liberty
It’s a party in the USA, don’t you feel a little horrified
America the beautiful, but only if you actually try
America the beautiful, but only if you open your eyes
Eric Bazilian | Better Times
Better Times
Music and lyrics by Eric Bazilian
Listen to the song
Bob Bumbera interviews Eric
Eric on the song
“Better Times” started with five words,
over and over.
I’d like to be able to say that “Better Times” came to me in a dream. It came, in fact, in the shower. Five words, over and over. Better times better come soon. I chased the idea in my head as I dried off, got dressed, followed it out of the house and into the studio, where I tried a bunch of things that didn’t work.
Then I sat down at the piano, started playing some chords, then a few more chords, until the idea decided to let me catch it. Several versions later, I’ve got a song in a style I’d never done before that I thought I could never sing. With some encouragement I proved myself wrong.
Don’t you just hate it when a writer says, “I’d rather let the song speak for itself”? Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m going to let the song speak for itself, hope somebody likes it and it makes them think kind thoughts.
“So, usually I start with a musical idea, but in this case it was a lyric phrase, something about better times. Yeah, better times, better times, better come soon. Kind of like early Dylan or Jesse Welles vibe.”
Eric Bazilian, in conversation with Bob Bumbera
- Eric Bazilian
- Lead & backing vocals, guitars, bass, piano, keyboards
- David Uosikkinen
- Drums
- Alexis Cunningham
- Backing vocals
- Tommy Williams
- String arrangement
- Production
- Produced, recorded, and mixed by Eric Bazilian
- Additional Engineering
- Theo Aronson
- Mastering
- Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
Better Times music and lyrics by Eric Bazilian
I wore the hat, yeah
What can I say?
It looked good in the mirror that day
Radio talking like it knew my name
Promising gold, delivering chains
I kept the faith, I walked the line
One step forward and two steps behind
One more river to cross
One more mountain to climb
Better times had better come soon
Maybe not this morning, maybe not this afternoon
I’m not asking for the sky
I’m not reaching for the moon
But better times, better times
Yeah, better times had better come soon
I swung the axe, what else could I do
For the sake of the many, the pain of a few
For the sake of the flag, the blood and the soil
For the price of an egg or a barrel of oil
For the land that I work year after year
For the friends and the family that I hold so dear
For the cries of a soldier
That no one can hear
Better times had better come soon
Maybe not this morning, maybe not this afternoon
I’m not asking for the sky
I’m not reaching for the moon
But better times, better times
Yeah, better times had better come soon
See that guy standing
I used to be there
Same know-it-all smile
Same fist in the air
Saying it’ll be fine, it’s all part of a plan
Trying to be a reasonable man
He ain’t my enemy
He ain’t my crime
He’s just a step behind me in time
Yeah, it all felt so right till it all went so wrong
And sooner or later we all sing the same song, yeah
Better times had better come soon
Maybe not this morning, maybe not this afternoon
I’m not asking for the sky
I’m not reaching for the moon
But better times, better times
Yeah, better times had better come soon
Philly Anthems has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.