Iconic pop singer and diehard follower of Jesus Christ, Pat Boone — who once made an album covering legendary heavy metal songs — who first rose to prominence during the 1950s, put out a song last week called “Where Did America Go?” that he said was written as a wake-up call for the American people to stop playing footsie with sin and wickedness and return to our nation’s Christian roots. I think that’s a message many of us can get behind.
In the song, Boone sings the line, “That old Constitution/ Still holds the solution. But we gave up our freedoms for sale.” This is a poignant line, especially given that what many have sold their freedoms for is the illusion of safety. Leftists have done a bang-up job of making swaths of American voters terrified of all sorts of made-up dangers. We’ve heard them say on many occasions that Trump is a threat to democracy. If we allow guns, there will be violent crime. If we don’t allow abortions, women will die in back alleys. And on the fear mongering goes. Truth be told, living is fraught with risk. You can’t avoid that. Do you want to face risk with freedom or without it? That’s the question.
Boone put out a Facebook announcement saying, “I don’t see how America can keep going in this way. I’m deeply concerned. We’ve got elections coming up, maybe they’ll make a difference. But I couldn’t wait, I just felt I had to do something like my friend Bob Dylan did when we were in similar states of confusion.”
Boone said the song’s style was patterned after Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” but lyrically it points to the answer: God.
The lyrics of the song call on listeners to reflect on the current state of division in the U.S. “We’re not one nation under God anymore,” Boone said in a press release. “People are so condemning of each other that if you hold certain beliefs and others disagree, you must be crooked, crazy and wrong. This song is a warning, an alarm that America is in danger of losing its way.”
Boone and his late wife, Shirley, were close friends with Billy and Ruth Graham. Boone has read the Bible faithfully for decades, and the Boones have hosted many Bible studies at their home. Over the years, more than 300 people have been baptized in their swimming pool. And because of their genuine faith, many people in the entertainment industry have approached them privately to ask questions about Jesus Christ.
The verses of the song echo Boone’s concerns for the nation: “Can America still rise again? / Find our way back to where we were then? / Yes, that old Family Bible / Still holds our survival / It spells out the way we can win.” The chorus is an appeal to God: “O God of Sweet Liberty / Please help us and heal us again / If we fall on our knees / Will You still hear our pleas? / Take us back to where we were then.”
The single has now been made available on all major streaming platforms in order to reach a wide listening audience with its message.