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With God On Our Side

Bob Dylan © 1963 M.Witmark & Sons, 1991 Special Rider Music

(Official lyrics @ www.bobdylan.com)


7 Aug 1963
THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'

12 Apr 1963
STOLEN MOMENTS:
    New York Town Hall 12th April 1963 (T-978)
THE BANJO TAPE & NYC TOWN HALL (T-452)

25 Apr 1963
IN THE PINES (T-645)

28 July 1963
NEWPORT BROADSIDE 1963
BEST OF NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVALS (LP)
HARD TO FIND Vol. 3
    [Even Harder To Find] (T-503)
HELP ! (vinyl bootleg)

31 Oct 1964
CONCERT AT PHILHARMONIC HALL:
    THE BOOTLEG SERIES Vol. 6 LIVE 1964
LIVE IN NEWPORT 1965 (T-113)

4 Nov 1975
THE ROLLING THUNDER REVUE:
    TTHE LIVE 1975 RECORDINGS

19 Oct 1988
STUCK INSIDE OF NEW YORK (T-155)

17 Nov 1994
MTV UNPLUGGED

Town Hall, New York City NY - 12.apr.1963  
The Bear, Chicago IL - 25.apr.1963  
Newport Folk Festival, Newport RI - 27.jul.1963, "ballads worshop", w/ Joan Baez  
The Times They Are a-Changin' session 2, Columbia Studio A, NYC - 7.aug.1963, album version  
Philharmonic Hall, NYC - 31.oct.1964   
Rolling Thunder Revue, Civic Center, Providence, RI - 4.nov.1975, afternoon  (p) 
Radio City Music Hall, NYC - 19.oct.1988, with extra "Vietnam verse"  (v)  
MTV Unplugged, Sony Studios, NYC - 17.nov.1994 

Oh, my name it ain't nothin', my age it means less
The country I come from is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there, the laws to abide
And that the land that I live in has God on its side.

Oh, the history books tell it, they tell it so well
The cavalries charged, the Indians fell
The cavalries charged, the Indians died
Oh, the country was young with God on its side.

The Spanish American war had its day
And the Civil War too was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes i's made to memorize
With guns in their hands and God on their side.

The First World War, boys, it came an it went
The reason for fightin' I never did get
But I learned to accept it, accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead when God's on your side.

The Second World War boys, came to an end
We forgave the Germans and then we were friends
Though they murdered six million, in the ovens they fried
The Germans now too have God on their side.

(v)       In the 1960's came the Vietnam War
          Can somebody tell me what we're fighting for?
          So many young men died, so many young mothers cried
          Now I ask the question "Was God on our side?" 

I've learned to hate Russians all through my whole life (p) 
If another war comes it's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them, to run and to hide
And accept it all bravely with God on my side.

But now we got weapons of chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to, then fire them we must
One push of the button an' shot the world wide
An' you never ask questions when God's on your side

Through a many dark hour i've been thinkin' 'bout this
That Jesus Christ was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you, you'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin', i'm weary as hell
The confusion I'm feelin' ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head and fall to the floor
That if God's on our side, he'll stop the next war. 

______
(p)  Providence RI - 4.nov.1975, afternoon show
I've learned to hate Russia and China and Korea and Vietnam
 and Bulgaria and Poland and South America and Cuba through my whole life

    

Recording dates & record list

12 Apr 1963 STOLEN MOMENTS: NEW YORK TOWN HALL 12TH APRIL 1963 (bootleg cd)
THE BANJO TAPE & NYC TOWN HALL (bootleg cd)
25 Apr 1963 1 IN THE PINES (bootleg cd)
28 July 1963 1 NEWPORT BROADSIDE 1963
BEST OF NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVALS
HARD TO FIND Vol. 3 [Even Harder To Find] (bootleg cd)
HELP ! (vinyl bootleg)
7 Aug 1963 1 THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'
26 Oct 1963LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL 1963
UNRAVELLED TALES: CARNEGIE HALL 26TH OCTOBER 1963 (bootleg cd)
May 1964TRANSMISSIONS
12 May 196450TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION 1964
ONE PUSH OF THE BUTTON: TV SHOWS (PART 1) (bootleg cd)
17 May 196450TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION 1964 #2
8 Aug 196450TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION 1964 #3
10 Oct 196450TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION 1964 #4
31 Oct 1964CONCERT AT PHILHARMONIC HALL: THE BOOTLEG SERIES Vol. 6 LIVE 1964
ALL HALLOW'S EVE & MORE (bootleg cd)
LIVE IN NEWPORT 1965 (bootleg cd)
7 May 1965NOW AIN'T THE TIME FOR YOUR TEARS (vb)
4 Nov 1975 1 THE ROLLING THUNDER REVUE: THE LIVE 1975 RECORDINGS
19 Oct 1988 1 STUCK INSIDE OF NEW YORK (bootleg cd)
4 Dec 1988YOU DON'T KNOW ME (bootleg 4cd long box)
15 Nov 1994THE UNPLUGGED REHEARSALS
17 Nov 1994MTV UNPLUGGED
COMPLETELY UNPLUGGED (bootleg cd)