Independence Day Lyrics
Though she looked a little worried and weak
She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin again, but daddy left the proof on her cheek
I was only eight years old that summer, and I always seemed to be in the way
So I took myself down to the fair in town
On Independance Day
They said he was a dangerous man
But momma was proud and she stood her ground
She knew she was on the losing end
Some folks whisper, some folks talk
But everybody looked the other way
When time ran out there was noone about
On Independance Day
Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Throw the stone away, let the guilty pay
It's Independance Day
By the time that the fire men come
They just put out the flames and took down some names
Sent me to the county home
Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong
But maybe it's the only way
Talk about your evolution, it's Independance Day
Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Throw the stone away let the guilty pay
It's Independance Day
Throw the stone away
It's Independance Day
im sure most people who would look up these lyrics have seen the music video.. and it shows the song perfectly.. if you haven't seen it- it is about abuse. the song is written as the daughter of an abusive father. and her mother ends up killing both herself and her husband to end the abuse.
@twostorywindow Well, one would think that the woman dies, ("sent me to the county home") but according to a statement by Martina McBride, the woman doesn't die. But she didn't write the song. Maybe she wants to protect her image. But she didn't write the song. It was written by Gretchen Peters.
@twostorywindow Well, one would think that the woman dies, ("sent me to the county home") but according to a statement by Martina McBride, the woman doesn't die. But she didn't write the song. Maybe she wants to protect her image. But she didn't write the song. It was written by Gretchen Peters.
@twostorywindow Martina McBride has been quoted as saying, in public, that the woman didn't (doesn't) die in the fire/flames. But even if she said that, she wasn't the one who wrote the song, although she's sung it numerous times. We'll have to ask Gretchen Peters, who wrote the song and who said the song "came from out of the blue." She said this in an interview done by Martina McBride.
@twostorywindow Martina McBride has been quoted as saying, in public, that the woman didn't (doesn't) die in the fire/flames. But even if she said that, she wasn't the one who wrote the song, although she's sung it numerous times. We'll have to ask Gretchen Peters, who wrote the song and who said the song "came from out of the blue." She said this in an interview done by Martina McBride.
This song is about a family; an alcoholic, abusive father/husband, a proud woman who tries to stand by her husband, and a child who is abused. The townspeople look the other way and the abuse continues. The wife tries to stand by her husband, but when the father continues to be abusive, the wife burns down the house. The song never states it explicitely, but the abusive husband/father is killed. The wife/mother goes to jail and while the daughter is sent to the county home. Its Independence Day for the mother and daughter as they are now free from abuse.
@chungjik There is no specific mention of abuse of a child in the song, unless you're saying "I always seemed to get in the way" as clear and solid proof of abuse of the 8-year-old kid. And there's no specific mention of the woman "standing by" her husband, Unless you're saying, "Momma was proud and she stood her ground" as clear and solid proof of "standing by her husband". That's one aspect of things in the situation, but the main problems with "Independence Day include this: You must accept the argument that, at the very least, the song is iconoclasic....
@chungjik There is no specific mention of abuse of a child in the song, unless you're saying "I always seemed to get in the way" as clear and solid proof of abuse of the 8-year-old kid. And there's no specific mention of the woman "standing by" her husband, Unless you're saying, "Momma was proud and she stood her ground" as clear and solid proof of "standing by her husband". That's one aspect of things in the situation, but the main problems with "Independence Day include this: You must accept the argument that, at the very least, the song is iconoclasic. It attempts to usurp the title of "Independence Day" which has long been known as a reference to July 4, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress (of the Colonies that had long been beholden to England) adopted the Declaration Of Independence. This song arguably attempts to usurp July 4th, 1776, even if it wasn't actually July 4th on the day the fire happened.
And iconoclasm isn't the least of the problems of this song. Why is that, you ask? As I've already written, the song arguably advocates murder. There is no specific mention that the woman was in the exact situation of trying to defend herself from her abuser. We must ask: Why didn't the woman take her daughter and run away to another town and hide out? Ah, so you're complaining that "Everybody looked the other way". So what? Why couldn't the mother steal a moment from the husband and run away with her daughter? Why? The song never answers that.
So, we have the lyrics. We have the celebratory music. And we have the celebratory video.
And, even before the video begins, we have a girl and a woman reciting "Amazing Grace". Amazing grace? So are you telling me that if anyone says, "God, please forgive me, but I'm about to...." and then what comes next in the sentence? Something horrible and very deadly?
Come to think of it, I actually read a review where the poster/commenter claimed that the song was, or is, Scriptural in many different senses. Really? Seriously? What does Scripture really say?
OK, let's look at the Ten Commandments, which are first spoken of in Exodus, the 2nd book of the Bible, which was written by Moses and which was one of the first 5 books, known as the Pentateuch (from Greek) and also referred to by Jewish people as the Torah. What does it say in the Ten Commandments? It says, "Do not kill".
Oops.
Right there. The sixth Commandment of the Ten Commandments. The defenders of this song, what do they want to do? They arguably want to rip that Commandment out of the Bible, or they want to say that there are supposedly "exceptions to the Command", or they want to say, "It's all in the way you interpret the verse". Really? Seriously?
What about if they argue, "We have to look at things in a utilitarian way." Really? So, does a utilitarian argument somehow trump other arguments?
And guess what: One of the most famous Utilitarians who ever lived on planet Earth, is (was) named John Stuart Mill.
And John Stuart Mill was an atheist.
@chungjik The sheer use of the words "Independence Day" is arguably iconoclastic and arguably an attempt to usurp the actual day (date) of July 4th, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence from the mother country (England). When we refer to, and look back approvingly upon, the "Independence Day" of 1776, we realize that it has a special place in the history of the United States of America. It is enthroned in American History as one of the significant nomenclatures but now, with the song "Independence Day" which was written by Gretchen Peters and sung by...
@chungjik The sheer use of the words "Independence Day" is arguably iconoclastic and arguably an attempt to usurp the actual day (date) of July 4th, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence from the mother country (England). When we refer to, and look back approvingly upon, the "Independence Day" of 1776, we realize that it has a special place in the history of the United States of America. It is enthroned in American History as one of the significant nomenclatures but now, with the song "Independence Day" which was written by Gretchen Peters and sung by Martina McBride (and also has been performed by Peters herself) is arguably a wicked usurpation of the title of "Independence Day".
There is a lot we can say, and there are some things we don't know, about the song "Independence Day". For someone to try to dig up a load of Scriptural support for the song, that's really horrible. The woman killed her husband in the fire. The Bible says, "Do not kill". That is the very sixth Commandment, in the book of Exodus in the Bible. There is no evidence that the father killed anyone, but even Martina McBride seems to admit that the woman killed the husband in the fire. (Martina McBride has claimed that the woman doesn't die in the fire -- but she's not the one who wrote the song.)
Can anybody explain to me the line "let the right be wrong"? Maybe I'm just missing the point, but what could this mean? Thanks
@ninakazama Let the right (right to freedom, getting out of the abusive relationship etc) be wrong (likely referencing that the best way to break free isnt to burn down the house)
@ninakazama Let the right (right to freedom, getting out of the abusive relationship etc) be wrong (likely referencing that the best way to break free isnt to burn down the house)
@ninakazana Sometimes the right thing to do is considered wrong in most circumstances. Occasionally, the wrong thing is the only right option. People face such dilemmas. While the comment about rhyme is reasonable, given the song, "let the right be wrong" makes some sense.
@ninakazana Sometimes the right thing to do is considered wrong in most circumstances. Occasionally, the wrong thing is the only right option. People face such dilemmas. While the comment about rhyme is reasonable, given the song, "let the right be wrong" makes some sense.
@ninakazama One interpretation is that that lyric goes against the Bible. And thus, we can argue that the song is unbiblical.
@ninakazama One interpretation is that that lyric goes against the Bible. And thus, we can argue that the song is unbiblical.
How do we know that? It says, in the 5th chapter of Isaiah, in the Bible, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil!!"
How do we know that? It says, in the 5th chapter of Isaiah, in the Bible, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil!!"
Is it evil to kill another human being in the same household? Consider this. Tell me, what's the sixth Commandment inside the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus in the Bible? "Thou Shalt Not Kill." What did the woman do to the husband in the song?
Is it evil to kill another human being in the same household? Consider this. Tell me, what's the sixth Commandment inside the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus in the Bible? "Thou Shalt Not Kill." What did the woman do to the husband in the song?
Here's...
Here's one more thing that Martina McBride fans might consider: Did Martina McBride team up with a Christian on this song? Well, let us ask ourselves: Is Gretchen Peters a Christian? Well, consider this: Gretchen Peters is Pro-Abortion. Peters has even donated money to Planned Parenthood.
Ah, but Planned Parenthood performs mammograms for women, you say? Wrong. They never do mammograms for women themselves. On the contrary: They have been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands more of innocent babies in the womb. We already know this. We know that the babies are innocent. So, let us ask ourselves: Is Gretchen Peters Pro-Life? Or is she Pro-Abortion? And Martina McBride, what can we say about her, when she partners up with a person who we know is Pro-Abortion? What do you think of that?
First off, when she says "let the right be wrong" she is just trying to rhyme, but also it's meaning is that all those who are so full of themselves, self-centered and arrogant, should see that at some point that they are not perfect, that they don't know everything, because no one does. For those of you who may be Stephen King fans, this is the closest song I could find to be related to the novel "It" of course Independance Day was not a part of the story, but I'll explain the stuff that relates. Most of it has to do with Beverly Marsh. Bev had a somewhat abusive father who drank, but through it all Bev was a really strong person, the age of 8 is a few years younger then Bev, but she definately tried to stay away from the house as much as she could. As for the song being related to the whole story, well, it's really hard to get around that is about a broken family. But as far as things related to the creature It, the small town of Derry was ultimately blind to the monster, and only a few knew of it "some folks whisper, some folks talk, but everybody looked the other way out, and when time ran out, there was no one about. That is what happens when It takes a child, the matter goes ultimately unresolved, the parents are sad, but don't ever think of revenge on whoever killed their child. I am not sure I can explain it further without making it worse. I just suggest reading the book, best one ever written. And for anyone who has, I hope you see the few points I mean.
The title is a double meaning. "Independence Day" has a literal meaning, in that these events happened on July 4th, or America's Independence Day.
It also refers to the day that her mom in the song finally had enough of her dad's abusive ways and declared her "independence" by setting fire to the house. I believe it's right to assume the father died, mother was arrested and daughter (Martina in the song) was taken to foster care.
However, her in-song mom gained independence from the abuse her in-song dad was giving for herself and Martina. Therefore, it was a "day of reckoning" or a day where her father finally had to own up for his past sins. Mom and daughter, while not together physically, were independent of the father's abuse.
Awesome song and lyrics!
i think, personally, that she set fire to the house which burned with her in it too. So she realized her daughter would have a better life without her dad obviously, even if her mom had to go to. That she sacrificed herself for her daughter to have a better life.
@mariahlovesmusic Interesting. And when we look back at Martina McBride's statements in public, she has claimed that the woman doesn't die in the fire; the woman survives, according to McBride. Could this be a direct echoing of any statement by Gretchen Peters (the one who wrote the song)? Or, could it be a convenient way out for McBride, to try to justify the killing?
@mariahlovesmusic Interesting. And when we look back at Martina McBride's statements in public, she has claimed that the woman doesn't die in the fire; the woman survives, according to McBride. Could this be a direct echoing of any statement by Gretchen Peters (the one who wrote the song)? Or, could it be a convenient way out for McBride, to try to justify the killing?
The sixth Commandment in the Bible (the sixth Commandment within the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus) says, "Thou Shalt Not Kill."
The sixth Commandment in the Bible (the sixth Commandment within the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus) says, "Thou Shalt Not Kill."
What did the mother do to the father?
What did the mother do to the father?
Apparently,...
Apparently, she killed him.
it means to be abused i guess lol
why are there two independence days, i mean two lyrics fr the same song.
@wicked_angel One possible argument is that Gretchen Peters (the woman who wrote the song) tried to usurp (or unwittingly usurped) the day (date) of the Declaration of Independence, which was July 4th, 1776. That's when the Second Continental Congress decided to adopt the Declaration Of Independence, a special day (date) in the history of the United States Of America, a day enshrined in American history, and which is not a current repudiation of any English person -- and is only a recognition and remembrance of the war that was won by the Colonies across the Atlantic Ocean from England and...
@wicked_angel One possible argument is that Gretchen Peters (the woman who wrote the song) tried to usurp (or unwittingly usurped) the day (date) of the Declaration of Independence, which was July 4th, 1776. That's when the Second Continental Congress decided to adopt the Declaration Of Independence, a special day (date) in the history of the United States Of America, a day enshrined in American history, and which is not a current repudiation of any English person -- and is only a recognition and remembrance of the war that was won by the Colonies across the Atlantic Ocean from England and a reverence toward the Colonial leaders, soldiers, etc).
These lyrics are wrong, "Throw the Stone Away" is actually, "Roll the Stone Away". You may think that is a small difference, but it is very important to the meaning of "Let the Right be Wrong".
The chorus is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let Freedom Ring - Mark 16:15 Let the White Dove Sing - Luke 3:22 Today is the day of reckoning - Hebrews 9:27 Let the Weak be Strong - James 4:10 Let the Right be Wrong - Galatians 3:24, Romans 3:20 Roll the Stone Away - Mark 16:3-4 Let the Guilty Pay, It's Independence Day - Matthew 25:46
What the chorus says, is pretty much what every letter in the New Testament says, “Hallelujah, the Christ has come, death has lost its sting!” – 1 Corinthians 15:55 Let the White Dove sing is talking about Jesus being Baptized when God, as a Dove, landed on Jesus’ head and said(sang) “This is my Son.” Today is the day of reckoning is Biblical, but I think it is more to make the chorus fit the song. Everyone is accountable to God at their death, the ultimate statistic is that 10 out of 10 people die, so it’s important that the whole world hear it. Let the Weak be Strong is an emphasis to how often the Bible speaks of the humble and poor being the ones that God has the most affection for. Let the Right be Wrong is the most important part in the road to the salvation of your soul! Paul said that he knew not sin except by the law. If you do not know that you are a sinner, then you do not know you need a savior. In order for Christ to save your soul, your righteousness must be shown to you to be wrongness. How is that? It is by understanding that every lie you have ever told has been written on your conscious, every thing you have stolen, from a pen, to a song on the internet, to taking someone else’s idea as your own is known to God. Every idle word (either a cuss word or blasphemy) will require an account. These are three of the commandments, there are seven more. The Gospel, or good news, is that when the Stone was Rolled Away, Jesus Christ, who was punished and KILLED for your sins, was no longer dead, He DEFEATED death and delivered your soul from the grips of the Devil.
Let the Guilty Pay > The unrepentant, untrusting Sinners. It’s Independence Day > Those that have repented of their sins, trusted in Jesus Christ to save their souls, are Independent from Hell.
Cool Chorus, it started to unfold when I was trying to figure out how she was referring to America when she said, “Let the Right be Wrong”, then I realized it wasn’t about America’s Independence Day from Britain, it is about American’s Independence Day from Hell.
@NoWorries1988 The person who thinks that "Independence Day" is a celebration of the Gospel of Christ, apparently doesn't realize some important things about this song. First off, the Gospel of Jesus Christ never contradicts itself. But when we look at this particular song, we know that the lyrics say, at one point, "I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong..." But when we consider that the song is a rousing anthem, containing a rising of the ringing of bells (a reasonable interpretation might be Christian church bells, perhaps Protestant Christian church bells) and that it would be reasonable to say...
@NoWorries1988 The person who thinks that "Independence Day" is a celebration of the Gospel of Christ, apparently doesn't realize some important things about this song. First off, the Gospel of Jesus Christ never contradicts itself. But when we look at this particular song, we know that the lyrics say, at one point, "I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong..." But when we consider that the song is a rousing anthem, containing a rising of the ringing of bells (a reasonable interpretation might be Christian church bells, perhaps Protestant Christian church bells) and that it would be reasonable to say that the song has elements of enthusiasm and/or vigor and/or energy, that seems to be quite a quite a contradiction of the lyric, "I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong". Now, when the daughter in the song is claiming, "I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong", it's safe to interpret that line as the following claim: "Manslaughter could be right", or "Maybe my mother was acting righteously when she slaughtered my dad". More to come...
I am looking again at some of the text there from "NoWorries1988", who claimed in 2006 that the Martina McBride/Gretchen Peters song "Independence Day" is a celebration of the Gospel of Christ. And I read the following: "It is about American’s Independence Day from Hell." There is nowhere in the four Gospels, and there is nowhere in the New Testament, where we are encouraged to commit acts of manslaughter. The Gospel of Jesus Christ never condemns war per se (such as the war of the Colonists against Great Britain, or certain other wars), and never celebrates war per se (unless...
I am looking again at some of the text there from "NoWorries1988", who claimed in 2006 that the Martina McBride/Gretchen Peters song "Independence Day" is a celebration of the Gospel of Christ. And I read the following: "It is about American’s Independence Day from Hell." There is nowhere in the four Gospels, and there is nowhere in the New Testament, where we are encouraged to commit acts of manslaughter. The Gospel of Jesus Christ never condemns war per se (such as the war of the Colonists against Great Britain, or certain other wars), and never celebrates war per se (unless if we're speaking of God's chosen people, the Israelites). More to come...
Perhaps the aGretchen Peters' lyrics have some biblical assimilations, but as far as direct quotes, not from any version of the Bible I've ever read. They're not direct quotes from the Bible. Do they have an affiliation? Perhaps ...
The mother could have died in the fire, accidentally or deliberately, or she could have been taken away by the authorities. The songwriter, Gretchen Peters, deliberately left that question unanswered. But the point of the song is to illustrate what can happen when a woman finds herself in a desperate situation as a result of domestic violence and feels she has to take desperate action. Martina wanted to record the song to warn women in abusive or violent relationships to get help or get out before they find themselves in a tragedy like the woman in the song. Martina says her interpretation is that the mother does NOT die and that she couldn't have recorded the song if she felt that the mother dies.
So obviously, the song is depicts her as a young child watching her father, who was a drunken sot, continually engage in domestic abuse directed toward her mother. Eventually, since "mama was proud and she stood her ground", her mother couldn't handle it any more. Her mother didn't want her daughter to grow up like this, and she had her own solution: Burn the house down.
Was the mother left inside the house and killed as well? This is my opinion, although obviously (as stated above) Martina said "no". I love her music and lyrics, but I don't agree with her here.
"Let weak be strong" -- well, her mother was the weak one always being abused. Let her be strong, if just for today!
"Let the right be wrong" -- Hey, although Martina says in the song, that she doesn't "know if it's right or it's wrong (but maybe it's the only way)", she knows it's wrong. She doesn't want her mother to be judged by God for this. Let freedom ring! Let the right be wrong, if just for today.
"Roll that stone away" -- release my mother from the evilness of my father -- let my mother into heaven, and don't punish her for burning the house down and killing him. Roll that stone away.
"Let the guilty pay" -- obvious. Her mother shouldn't be punished; her father should. Let the guilty pay, and he's the guilty one.
The author cleverly used Biblical assimilations to mock a real life situation, and it fit Martina perfectly. She's a wonderful artist and seemingly wonderful person.
@ivyleaguer Let's take a look at things. As I've written before, Martina McBride (perhaps to her credit, perhaps not) has claimed, in public, in an interview, that the mother didn't die in the fire. How does she know that? She didn't write the song. Maybe she felt that she had spent enough time with the songwriter (Gretchen Peters, in this case) in an attempt to speak for Peters. Interestingly enough, it was McBride who uploaded a video of her interviewing Peters about the song, and when she asked Peters about the background (how the song originated), Peters answered: "Out of...
@ivyleaguer Let's take a look at things. As I've written before, Martina McBride (perhaps to her credit, perhaps not) has claimed, in public, in an interview, that the mother didn't die in the fire. How does she know that? She didn't write the song. Maybe she felt that she had spent enough time with the songwriter (Gretchen Peters, in this case) in an attempt to speak for Peters. Interestingly enough, it was McBride who uploaded a video of her interviewing Peters about the song, and when she asked Peters about the background (how the song originated), Peters answered: "Out of the blue". So, part of it could have been an autobiographical account, but I have never read where Gretchen Peters ever said it was autobiographical.
Interesting: "Let the right be wrong, if just for today"? So, what are we talking about? Situational ethics? Some sort of ethics that justify what arguably was a murder? After all, women in actual, real-life situations in American history, have served serious time for killing their husbands, apparently out of street justice.
What, then? Should we argue for street justice? After all, it wasn't the Revolutionary War with this wife and her husband. -- But maybe some listeners might say, "Yes, it was indeed a Revolutionary War!" I see. How so? In 2023, that kind of activity is often referred to as "street justice". Why the heck didn't the mother run away from her daughter, huh? Why? The song does say, "Everybody looked the other way", and that would seem to include the local authorities -- but why in the world didn't the wife just run away to a nearby town, instead of killing one and maybe killing herself?
Here's another piece of info sort of related to the song. Martina McBride has claimed that she has received letters from abused women. Really? So let's assume she's telling the truth. How in the heck did that song help all of those mothers? Would they be willing to kill their husbands? Aha! Are you suggesting that somehow, some of those mothers should get together and plan on going out and murdering their husbands? So let's say you think it was not murder. Would you accept that it was manslaughter? Think about it: If you were a woman, and you were abused, would it be righteous to commit street justice? But again, I'm assuming some women would answer, "It's not street justice" or "Sometimes, street justice is ethical". Why haven't we seen Martina McBride paying the full defense/healthcare fees of women who have been prosecuted and found guilty of manslaughter and/or murder of their husbands or boyfriends? Has Martina McBride come to the aid of women who have killed their husbands or their boyfriends out of some sort of belief that it was for the greater good? And if so, isn't "for the greater good" a utilitarian argument?
And guess who is one of the most famous Utilitarians in history:
John Stuart Mill. And John Stuart Mill was an atheist. Can you be Utilitarian, and still be a Christian? Shouldn't we at least have that discussion?
And, as another listener pointed out, I know of no direct clear Biblical references in the song. Perhaps the songwriter (Gretchen Peters) was "thinking about" her supposed knowledge of the Bible, but I know of no direct reference. In fact, it could be argued that she's actually going against the Bible when she says, "Let the right be wrong".
Isaiah, Chapter 5, in the Bible, says: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil!" But this song arguably says the opposite: "Let the right (good) be wrong (evil)." But listeners will shout at me and say that the song is holy, that the lyrics are righteous." What is their proof? Where's the proof?
@ivyleaguer You claimed that it was (or is) a real-life situation. Are you trying to say that the song was (or is) autobiographical in the case of Gretchen Peters (she wrote the song)? If not, are you saying that the song simply refers to something that, in general, could happen in America? If so, should we be emptying the prisons of all the people who have ever acted out what has been referred to as "street justice"? Is it ever ethical to kill in the situation of street justice? In these United States, there's something called Manslaughter. Women have been...
@ivyleaguer You claimed that it was (or is) a real-life situation. Are you trying to say that the song was (or is) autobiographical in the case of Gretchen Peters (she wrote the song)? If not, are you saying that the song simply refers to something that, in general, could happen in America? If so, should we be emptying the prisons of all the people who have ever acted out what has been referred to as "street justice"? Is it ever ethical to kill in the situation of street justice? In these United States, there's something called Manslaughter. Women have been put away for serious time for killing their husbands. Are you suggesting that such laws, in America are unjust, and therefore evil? And Martina McBride has claimed that she's received letters (supposedly of thanks) from women who were abused by their husbands? Why have they supposedly thanked McBride? What good did she do for anyone?