Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper got more than he bargained for at his annual State of the City address. Singer Rene Marie was supposed to open the event with the National Anthem. Instead Marie sang "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," which is also known as the "Black National Anthem." Watch...
When she finished the audience responded with mild applause (clearly an awkward moment for audience). The national anthem was never performed.
Marie told a local news network that she kept her plans to switch songs quiet until the very last moment. She says only she and her husband and a friend knew she was going to sing something other than the "Star-Spangled Banner."
Marie says she wanted to express her love of her country by mixing the lyrics of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" with the melody of the "Star-Spangled Banner." The problem is she was asked to sing the National Anthem of the United States and should not have been to even finish her replacement anthem.
"When I decided to sing my version, what was going on in my head was: 'I want to express how I feel about living in the United States, as a black woman, as a black person,'" said Marie.
I want to know why I have to know what it feels like to be a black person in America? Would it be right for me to force you to know what it is like to be Puerto Rican in America? No! So why does she think she has the right to do something as stupid as this? Why does she feel she has the right to disrespect this nation and impose her own opinions and views? Does everyone have to take notice of how she feels as a black woman? I am offended that she believes that I should be force fed her view of America.
What this woman did was stupid and racist. I hope that no one ever makes the mistake of asking this so-called singer to EVER sing our National Anthem again.
Here are the full lyrics to "Lift Ev'ry Voice & Sing" …
LIFT EV'RY VOICE AND SING
Also known as "The Black National Anthem" by James Weldon Johnson
Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring.
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise,
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast'ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee,
Shadowed beneath thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.
I am truly offended. We need to stop this type of assault on the values of our great country. Here in the "No Bull Zone" I would like to get your view on this because I am mad as hell about this cheap shot at our country.
