Analysis Of The Poem Ragged Old Flag - 1081 Words

When songwriters begin to pen the lyrics of a song, I believe their ultimate goal is to transcend time in hopes of reaching listeners for generations to come. J.R. Cash, professionally known as Johnny Cash, wrote a song that did just that. â€Å"Ragged Old Flag† is a patriotic song that speaks to every generation. Written in 1974, â€Å"Ragged Old Flag† was meant to tell the story of our country. Johnny Cash recorded â€Å"Ragged Old Flag† live at the House of Cash. Cash wanted the song to be recorded live because it was raw, untouched, and unapologetically real. The basis of this analysis is to show how patriotism spans generations, but also why a song such as, â€Å"Ragged Old Flag† is an important part of patriotism in the United States of America. To begin, America has been through hell, but she always comes back. â€Å"Ragged Old Flag† was Cash’s response to the nationwide frustration brought on by the Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal. Johnny wanted to write a song that would make people feel patriotic and stand together during the Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal. â€Å"Ragged Old Flag† reaches many generations and that is apparent in the first couple of verses. Johnny Cash wrote â€Å"Ragged Old Flag† in first person point of view. The listener will be skillfully taken on a journey through the historical events of the United States. Within the first couple verses we are introduced to a man new to small town. He is walking by the courthouse when he notices an elderly man sitting on a bench. The manShow MoreRelatedRomanticism and Modernism as Strange Bedfellows: A Fresh Look at Jack Kerouacs On the Road12240 Words   |  49 Pages. I tingled all over; I counted minutes and subtracted miles. Jus t ahead over rolling wheatfields all golden beneath the distant snows . . . I pictured myself in a Denver bar that night, with all the gang, and in their eyes I would be strange and ragged and like the Prophet who has walked across the land to bring the dark Word, and the Word I had was ‘wow’ (35). He deems himself the romantic Prophet who bears the â€Å"Word.† Only in this case, the word is only an emotional, childlike utterance—â€Å"wow