If you walk out onto my front porch on a clear day (and creatively filter out the tree branches), this is what you will see. This is Pike's Peak in Colorado, and it was at the top of this 14,000 foot mountain that Katharine Lee Bates found the inspiration for her poem "Pikes Peak," later renamed "America the Beautiful."
America is a beautiful country. It's also large and wide and diverse and sometimes a bit frightening... but it's a wonderful place, and I love it. I hope you love your country as well, wherever you may be, and work and pray for the good of your nation and the priceless blessing of peace. This song is a simple prayer for the blessings of God on the lands we love.
The text was written in response to current events, which, of course won't stay current, so I won't discuss them here. If you'd like background information on these lyrics, see this blog post.
The music for this song was written by Michael Moody, a talented musician and wonderful friend who has encouraged me in songwriting for many years. (If you want to read more about him, here's a bio on Wikipedia.) I'll never forget meeting him on my first visit to the LDS Church music office... feeling very small and young and timid in that hulking tower of a building... and watching in relief as he bounced my 3-year-old son on his knee and sang silly songs to him. I hope you enjoy his beautiful setting.
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