Schoolhouse Rock Shot Heard Round the World
Those of us above a certain age fondly recall the Schoolhouse Rock series of shorts that ran between the Saturday morning cartoons. Several from the “America Rock” sub-series are appropriate. “Fireworks” is the 4th of July commemorative but, unfortunately, it isn’t on YouTube.
“Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” though, is:
(via Michelle Malkin)
So is “No More Kings.”
“Shot Heard ‘Round the World”
Music & Lyrics: Bob Dorough
Sung by: Bob Dorough
Animation: Kim & Gifford Productions
{The British are comin’! The British are comin’!}
Now the ride of Paul Revere
Set the nation on its ear,
And the shot at Lexington
Heard round the world.
When the British fired
In the early dawn,
The War of Independence had begun,
The die was cast, the rebel flag unfurled.
And on to Concord marched the foe,
To seize the arsenal there you know,
Waking folks, searching all around.
Till our militia stopped them in their tracks,
At the Old North Bridge, we turned them back
And chased those Redcoats back to Boston town.
And the shot heard round the world
Was the start of the revolution.
The minutemen were ready, on the move.
Take your powder, take your gun,
Report to General Washington,
Hurry men, there’s not an hour to lose.
Now at famous Bunker Hill,
Even though we lost, it was quite a thrill.
The rebel Colonel Prescott proved he was wise.
Outnumbered and low on ammunition,
As the British stormed his position,
He said, “Hold your fire till you see the whites of their eyes.”
Though the next few years were rough,
General Washington’s men proved they were tough.
Those hungry, ragged boys would not be beat.
One night they crossed the Delaware,
Surprised the Hessians in their lair,
And at Valley Forge they just bundled up their feet.
Now the shot heard round the world
Was the start of the revolution.
The minutemen were ready, on the move.
Take your blanket, take your son,
Report to General Washington.
We’ve got our rights and now it’s time to prove.
Well, they showed such determination
That they won the admiration
Of countries ‘cross the sea like France and Spain.
Who loaned the colonies ships and guns
And put the British on the run,
And the Continental Army on its feet again.
And though they lost some battles too,
The Americans swore they’d see it through.
Their raiding parties %shut up, hit and run.%
At Yorktown the British could not retreat,
Bottled up by Washington and the French Fleet,
Cornwallis surrendered and finally we had won.
}} {The winner!}
}} {Hurray!}
From the shot heard round the world,
To the end of the revolution,
The continental rabble took the day.
And the father of our country
beat the British there at Yorktown,
and brought freedom to you and me and the U.S.A.
God bless America!
Let freedom ring!
“No More Kings”
Music & Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens
Performed by: Lynn Ahrens
Animation: Kim & Gifford Productions
Rockin’ and a-rollin’, splishin’ and a-splashin’,
Over the horizon, what can it be?
The pilgrims sailed the sea
To find a place to call their own.
In their ship Mayflower,
They hoped to find a better home.
They finally knocked
On Plymouth Rock
And someone said, “We’re there.”
It may not look like home
But at this point I don’t care.
Oh, they were missing Mother England,
They swore their loyalty until the very end.
Anything you say, King,
It’s OK, King,
You know it’s kinda scary on your own.
Gonna build a new land
The way we planned.
Could you help us run it till it’s grown?
They planted corn, you know
They built their houses one by one,
And bit by bit they worked
Until the colonies were done.
They looked around,
Yeah, up and down,
And someone said, “Hurray!”
If the king could only see us now
He would be proud of us today.
They knew that now they’d run their own land,
But George the Third still vowed
He’d rule them till the end.
Anything I say, do it my way now.
Anything I say, do it my way.
Don’t you get to feeling independent
‘Cause I’m gonna force you to obey.
He taxed their property,
He didn’t give them any choice,
And back in England,
He didn’t give them any voice.
(That’s called taxation without representation,
and it’s not fair!)
But when the Colonies complained
The king said: “I don’t care!”
He even has the nerve
To tax our cup of tea.
To put it kindly, King,
We really don’t agree.
Gonna show you how we feel.
We’re gonna dump this tea
And turn this harbor into
The biggest cup of tea in history!
They wanted no more Mother England.
They knew the time had come
For them to take command.
It’s very clear you’re being unfair, King,
No matter what you say, we won’t obey.
Gonna hold a revolution now, King,
And we’re gonna run it all our way
With no more kings…
We’re gonna elect a president! (No more kings)
He’s gonna do what the people want! (No more kings)
We’re gonna run things our way! (No more kings)
Nobody’s gonna tell us what to do!
Rockin’ and a-rollin’, splishin’ and a-splashin’,
Over the horizon, what can it be?
Looks like it’s going to be a free country.
