I'm listening to a BBC commentator choking up at...

the Gettysburg Address read by Johnny Cash.

They were talking about Obama and racism, and the UN, an other things when the played this reading, and then they all were quiet for a few seconds, hours in radio time, until they regained their composure.

I'm choked up, too. If there is a better reading of Lincoln's words out there anywhere, I haven't heard it-- Cash read it perfectly.

I cannot be sure it's the same one, of course, but it's a good one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_hYZFUsOuw

:patriot:

:thumbsup:

I owe you whatever you want from me for that. The OP for bringing it up, and you for providing that link.

Two minutes. That speech is two minutes long.

The most perfect piece of prose ever composed.

I'll always be grateful to the teacher who made me memorize the Gettysburg Address.

But, I owe you both.

Thank you...........................

within the heart.

It gets ya right here...

thanks

Glad I picked the right one.

It is stirring in it's simplicity, for ordinary men and women.

:thumbsup:

wife and i took our 2 girls to D.C. this summer, and standing inside that building and reading the words aloud, moves you in a way that's difficult to describe

Lincoln struggled for days with the exact wording

The Gettysburg Gospel by Gabor Boritt, which I would recommend to anyone wanting to know the whole story. It's fascinating, and points out that the media of Lincoln's era were just as biased as many media outlets today. (Democratic Party-run newspapers, sadly, were quick to belittle the address.) The book overall just paints a wonderful picture of what the country was like at the time and what the atmosphere was like at the Gettysburg dedication.

However, the envelope thing hardly matters. It's the words that count.

"However, the envelope thing hardly matters. It's the words that count."


And it doesn't matter how many drafts it took for him to write it, either; what matters is what he had when he was done.

that now there's less of it, so it's tougher to find a medium with your specific biases. (Back in the 20s, for instance, NYC had over 20 daily newpapers ranging from the right wing to Communist, and not all of them were in English.)

You're absolutely right that it's the word that count. Although I believe historical accuracy is important, we will always have our national mythology, and the Gettysburg Address is one of its highlights. A thousand years from now few will know the details of that war, but perhaps shoolchildren will be taught that there was one man who was a pillar of strength during a time of great crisis, and those were the immortal words he wrote.

if that doesn't hit you hard you have no heart.


:patriot:

for me! I'll have the health care and the infrastructure, please. Hold the war.

That was powerful, but I think Johnny ran through it just a bit too quickly.

Yeah, I know, I know that's nit-pickin' but I'm just expressing my opinion.