I have a neat (at least I thought it was!) GWB story to share. Last night a friend and I took our daughters to a Michael W. Smith concert. He is a very well known and popular contemporary Christian musician/songwriter/singer--one of our favorites. I had forgotten until he told this story that he is also a friend of the Bushes. He said he likes to tell the story behind his songs and then told this one...
About 6 weeks after 9/11 he was in the Oval Office with GWB. He said they, like everyone else, were just processing the whole event--talking, praying, etc. Michael said near the end of the conversation, GWB said "W, you need to write a song about it." It was so funny--Michael spoke it just as GWB would--said the W as 'dubya' and spoke GWB's inflection/accent. I can't communicate to you on paper how funny it was when he said it--their shared middle initial as a nickname.
Anyway, Michael said that he didn't really think about it much afterwards until 6 months later. He was on his farm (outside Nashville) and looked up at his flagpole and the flag flying--and said that he just had a meltdown. He said that the song just came to him at that moment and he rushed into the studio to get it on paper. He called Wes King--another well known musician in Christian circles--to help him with the lyrics. It is a fabulous song about the flag--I had heard it before and also seen the video--and was in tears last night hearing him perform it.
I will post the lyrics and also a site where you can see the video that goes with it--many images from 9/11 as well as other patriotic pictures of the flag. If you are not a Christian, don't be put off by this--actually, I don't think that God is even mentioned. I think that everyone who frequents the Dose would enjoy it--and I just loved the GWB story that went with it! :)
Lyrics:
When the night
Seems to say
All hope is lost
Gone away
But I know
I'm not alone
By the light
She stands
There she waves
Faithful friend
Shimmering stars
Westward wind
Show the way
Carry me
To the place
She stands
Just when you think it might be over
Just when you think the fight is gone
Someone will risk his life to raise her
There she stands
There she flies
Clear blue skies
Reminds us with red
Of those that died
Washed in white
By the brave
In their strength
She stands
When evil calls itself a martyr
When all your hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she stands
We've seen her flying torn and tattered
We've seen her stand the test of time
And through it all the fools have fallen
There she stands
By the dawn's
Early light
And through the fight
She stands
Video: http://tinyurl.com/ffk2r
I saw that when he sang it at the RNC convention in 2004. It's a really great song.
Absolutely wonderful, dmd25. Thank you dearly for posting this.
Thanks for that link and typing up the words - wonderful
Michael W. Smith performed at a special concert (maybe on the first year or second year anniversary of 9/11??), and he told that story before he sang the song.
It's really moving, and gets into the hearts of both "W's." :)