Lee Greenwood Tells the Story Behind “God Bless the U.S.A.” Hymn

Lee Greenwood, the singer, and songwriter of the famous American hymn, “God Bless the U.S.A,” tells the story behind the song that celebrates the United States of America. 

“God Bless the U.S.A” was written to pay tribute to brave American troops

During an interview with CBN, Greenwood talks about his love for America that came from his family during childhood. 

Greenwood said he was raised by grandparents, which he described as “just wonderful.” Greenword noted that his grandparents allowed him to excel in sports and music as long as he does his job on the farm. He then stated that you will have a “great respect” for it when you learn how to work with the earth.

Later, Greenwood explained that at 17 years old, he left home and traveled to Las Vegas. However, during that time, he didn’t really get to see the world through “normal eyes” because Vegas was in some sort of a “bubble.”

Greenwood said he was in Nevada when the Vietnam War was happening. It was that time when he started to have his own opinion about America, the sacrifices that the people make for the country, and how the people survived as a nation.

The singer and songwriter also talked about how his father joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor was attacked. The famous American hymn served as a tribute to the bravery of American troops who served and fought for our freedom. 

Greenwood noted that they were touring 300 days a year, and that is when he started to question why the troops were doing that. He then asked himself whether he is having an effect on the people or on the American culture.

At that time, Greenwood started to reflect on his childhood and the significance for him of seeing men in uniform. He said that when the American flag and the American troops would ride by, they would stand up a little straighter.

Finally, it came to Greenwood one day that the song “God Bless the U.S.A” would be a tribute to the country. 

Greenwood says his Christian faith kept him “grounded”

Greenwood also mentioned that his Christian faith and love for God grew as time passed by. 

He noted that he doesn’t think his grandparents are that religious; yet, they recognized that the faith is something that would keep him grounded. Greenwood said he does not know his parents that well and only knew his grandparents; therefore, the Christian faith gave him a lot of “internal strength” as he went out on his own at 17 years old. 

Greenwood also claimed that he fully believes that America needs faith. He added that the immigrants of America who came to the country from England and the rest of the world did not travel to the country in order to escape religion. Instead, they came to flee persecution. 

The singer and songwriter also remarked that people need to believe that there is something “bigger” than them, and for him, God is the being bigger than him. 

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