Randy Travis' greatness has as much to do with his moral compass and old-fashioned values as it has to do with his distinctive baritone vocals and his clear reverence for his Country Music Hall of Fame forerunners.
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A definitive example of his values comes not on such classic albums as Storms of Life but from "America Will Always Stand," his musical reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Travis and co-writers Becky Bluefield, Doc Walley, Michael Anthony Curtis and Yvonne Sanson celebrate the first responders and firefighters whose brave acts showed American resolve before preaching a notion lost on a lot of people since 2001: what unites us all as Americans means way more than our perceived differences.
Nowadays it gets lost in the shuffle of patriotic country takes by Toby Keith ("Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)", Alan Jackson (Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" and others, but "America Will Always Stand" got its due upon its 2001 release. The single, featuring "Point of Light" as its B-side, raised funds for the American Red Cross. What should've been a gimme when it comes to airplay success stalled at No. 59 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. Yet over on the all-genre Billboard Top 100, it became a Top 10 hit.
Despite its crossover success, the song doesn't exactly get mentioned in the same breath as "Three Wooden Crosses," "Forever and Ever, Amen," "Diggin' Up Bones," "I Told You So," "Deeper Than the Holler" and other definitive hits from Travis' career. Plus, it's not on Spotify, making it an easy one to skip over when putting together patriotic playlists. Yet in the big picture, few reactionary songs from the fall of 2001 better convey how and why unshakable fear gave way to unapologetic patriotism.
"America Will Always Stand" Lyrics
She stands in the face of evil
And will not lose hope or faith
America, the land of freedom
Still the home of the brave
So raise the banner, called Old Glory
Let us join our fellow man
History will write the story,
America will always stand
Walking through the fires of danger
There are those who gave their lives
They're the world's greatest heroes,
And we won't forget their sacrifice
So raise the banner, called Old Glory
Let us join our fellow man
History will write the story,
America will always stand
America is not divided
Our enemies they will be stopped.
'Cause, we the people are united
And still, one nation Under God
So raise the banner, called Old Glory
Let us join our fellow man
History will write the story,
America will always stand
History will write the story,
America will always stand...
