NEW American Prayer mp3!!!! Wheaton College

[Liesje]

Many thanx to I Move In Mysterious Ways for this file!

You can find a soundboard mp3 here:

http://www.angelfire.com/space/mp3s0/AmericanPrayer.html

Dunno how long it will last b/c I have extremely limited bandwidth.

Enjoy!

 

[FishNeedsABicycle]

LOL @ "no clappin please"

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA...

who is he singing with? himself? LOL...I don't know why this is cracking me up so much!

Thanks for sharing it!

 

[Liesje]

yep, he's singing over himself and with everyone else, you can't hear them very well unless they are singing right into the mics, and you can't hear the audience at all, but it's still better than nothing!

 

[FishNeedsABicycle]

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAH "guitar solo"

He is so cute

 

[souLnation2002]

its downloading very slowly..... but bono's voice is

 

[FishNeedsABicycle]

O_O

WHOEVER JUST YELLED REALLY LOUD AFTER THE KIDS SCARED THE SHIT OUTTA ME...LMAO

*sorry for the running commentary...

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Thank you, I Move In Mysterious Ways, thank you!

*s with LivLuv*

This is neat...I thought the song was gonna be slower, for some reason.

Was that a little kid I heard singing with Bono there at one point? Cute!

I like the lyrics, too-the lyrics are really good.

It's good. I like it .

Angela

 

[Liesje]

O_O

WHOEVER JUST YELLED REALLY LOUD AFTER THE KIDS SCARED THE SHIT OUTTA ME...LMAO

*sorry for the running commentary...

LOL, one of the African guys, he had an amazing voice! And I love that you can hear the little girl....too cute

 

[Ultraviolet Light]

Was that a little kid I heard singing with Bono there at one point? Cute!

I dunno which one of us took this, heck, maybe it was me. anyway...

*points* That's the little girl you can hear, and some of the Gateway Ambassadors singing along.

Just, y'know, felt like sharing that.
[/somewhat pointless post]

 

[flaming june]

Thanks Lies!

Awwww, that was so cute!

 

[FishNeedsABicycle]

Ok now you know I had to like it to change my sig...

I really love that last bit...it just reminded me of early U2...like something they could have thought...

GAH I HAVE HUGE U2 FUZZIES RIGHT NOW

 

[Ultraviolet Light]

Yes, I know I'm a dork.

[random post]
I yer sig, Feeshy!
[/random post]

*edit* woa. timing.

 

[IWasBored]

thanks!

 

[flaming june]

Ok now you know I had to like it to change my sig...

I really love that last bit...it just reminded me of early U2...like something they could have thought...

GAH I HAVE HUGE U2 FUZZIES RIGHT NOW

Your sig! I dunno, just makes me all but in a nice way. Kind of like the way I feel when Bono waves to himself during Streets on Zoo Sydney... I can't explain why it is. I'm just weird.

 

[FishNeedsABicycle]

No FJ!!! That is EXACTLY what I was thinking!!! You are not weird, you are right there with me!

It is EXACTLY like that...

*chills*

 

[flaming june]

No FJ!!! That is EXACTLY what I was thinking!!! You are not weird, you are right there with me!

It is EXACTLY like that...

*chills*

Awww!



Bono, God bless him.

 

[Stories for Boys]

it's a sad subject...

the first time we heard him sing this, in nebraska, those last words were the only ones i remembered...but they gave me the chills and made tears run down my cheeks. i love it so much! it is SO powerful, especially in the context it was sung.

fishy, i LOVE your sig...it makes me all melancholy, too.

 

[IWasBored]

that guy who screamed scared me too...i mean, i KNEW it was coming because i read that post before hearing it. i threw my headphones off in fear anyway...


the guitar chord changes in the song just made me happy...i know, i know, everyone's going about how great the lyrics are, and they really ARE great (and it incorporates the statue of liberty thing, as well as a paraphrased "you gotta kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight" line from bruce cockburn, didn't they use that in...in....something off rattle and hum...god part II?)

 

[hippy]

Your sig! I dunno, just makes me all but in a nice way. Kind of like the way I feel when Bono waves to himself during Streets on Zoo Sydney... I can't explain why it is. I'm just weird.

I feel that way too...

this is why we all connect so well around here... because we know what each other are feeling!

U2
PLEBA
everyone! lol

 

[IWasBored]

this is me trying to prove that i pay attention to the lyrics:


"and this is the time to finish what you started
and this is no time to dream
and this is the room
you can turn off the dark tonight
and maybe then we might see
american prayer
american prayer
and this is the ground that keeps your (our) feet from getting wet
and this is the sky over our head
remember that what you see
depends on where you stand
and how you jump will tell you where you're gonna land
(this is my american prayer)
americn prayer
american prayer
my oh my couldn't get much higher
let's not kick at the darkness
make the light brighter
these are the hands
what are we gonna build with them
and this is a church you can see
give me your tired
you're poor and huddled masses
you know they're yearning to breathe free
american prayer
american prayer
if you get to the top of the mountain will you tell me what you see if you get to the top of the mountain remember me
if you get to the top of the mountain will you tell me what you see if you get to the top of the mountain remember me"

 

[hippy]

Thanks for the lyrics!

This song is like Electrical Storm was for me... the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me... in fact, I was even just humming it in the shower

I was expecting something completely different than this... but I really like it... I wish we could hear more of the African choir, though.

You guys might shun me for this... but I almost hope they don't release this as a polished single or put it on an album or anything... in my opinion, this song is completely appropriate for the Heart of America Tour, but I don't think it would have the same power in a polished form. Somehow, hearing the African choir singing "If you get to the top of the mountain, remember me!" for all their worth makes the song SO much more powerful than any U2 studio version could ever be. What a stunning reminder of all we have in the US, how blessed we are, and how we have to remember those people not on the top with us...

WOW. Once again, U2 stuns me.

[/random thoughts about this song]

 

[Ultraviolet Light]

I agree that it wouldn't be the same (or as good, IMHO) if the band did this for an album, or if they released this as a What's Going On/We Are The World type-thing.
However, I would definitley be interested to hear what they (Bono and the Gateway Ambassadors) have been recording ( http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69529 ) in...New York, I believe.
I dunno if that's what you mean hippy, but I definitley think the Gateway Ambassadors are vital to the entire atmosphere/sound of the song. (Does that make sense? It's like 3am, so my brain is a little slower than its normal genius-speed )

 

[hippy]

I agree that it wouldn't be the same (or as good, IMHO) if the band did this for an album, or if they released this as a What's Going On/We Are The World type-thing.
However, I would definitley be interested to hear what they (Bono and the Gateway Ambassadors) have been recording ( http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69529 ) in...New York, I believe.
I dunno if that's what you mean hippy, but I definitley think the Gateway Ambassadors are vital to the entire atmosphere/sound of the song. (Does that make sense? It's like 3am, so my brain is a little slower than its normal genius-speed )

Yeah, that's sort of what I meant. I'm interested to hear the studio recording with the Gateway Ambassadors. I guess what I meant was more the atmosphere. You know when you're listening to a bootleg and the audience makes it that much more interesting. It's the combination of the time, the place, and the people that make some things really special. I guess what I'm saying is that, for me, knowing that this song was performed on the Heart of America tour, makes the lyric and the performance that much more special.

don't know if that made sense at all... like Ellen said... it's late and my brain is moving a little slower than it's normal genius speed

 

[FishNeedsABicycle]

It's early and my brain NEVER moves at genius speed...

But I agree...I think the song is more than appropriate for this mini DATA tour they are doing, but not really album material...I do think if they release a professional recording at all it should be something like "we are the world" (I remember singing that in 2nd grade choir...sweet lord I am old...) anyway...I think it should be realeased as a charity single if anything at all.


On a semi-related-waxing nostalgic note...

I remember being so excited that Michael Jackson was singing on that song...LMAO...that is the whole reason I bought it...I used to be a hardcore MJ fan...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...80's MJ was COOL dang it...

 

[Liesje]

I guess what I meant was more the atmosphere. You know when you're listening to a bootleg and the audience makes it that much more interesting. It's the combination of the time, the place, and the people that make some things really special. I guess what I'm saying is that, for me, knowing that this song was performed on the Heart of America tour, makes the lyric and the performance that much more special.

I understand what you mean, funny you should say that though, because my one complaint about this bootleg (NOT the song!) is that it came straight off the soundboard and there is really no audience besides the end. I dunno, maybe it was different in Wheaton, but in Nebraska when he picked up that guitar, the place went psycho! And another thing that didn't come through very well is that the African group actually sings a lot more than what you can hear on the recording, but it only picked up the people singing directly into the mic. This makes me eager to hear how they've treated the song in the studio.

I agree 100% with everything else you've said. To me, this isn't even a "U2" songand it was PERFECT for the occasion, I don't care how bad those people in EYKIW are going to trash the lyrics! Whenever I hear it, I'll always remember the first time I was there and saw it, and that was the first time I've seen Bono sing........

 

[hippy]

wow is this song a GREAT way to start the day!

 

[FallingStar]

Okay.



I listened to the song.

The lyrics are great!

But the tunes?

It sounds to me like a music of a sect, with guitar, one singer and ppl clapping to the music. *snigger*


Electrical Storm got me after one time of listening, but this.....I don't know.....

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

and this is the time to finish what you started
and this is no time to dream
and this is the room
you can turn off the dark tonight
and maybe then we might see

and this is a church you can see
give me your tired
you're poor and huddled masses
you know they're yearning to breathe free

if you get to the top of the mountain will you tell me what you see if you get to the top of the mountain remember me"

These are my favorite lyrics from that song. I think those are really good in particular.

Originally posted by IWasBored
give me your tired
you're poor and huddled masses

Where have I heard that before? Isn't it in the Bible?

Angela

 

[hippy]

Where have I heard that before? Isn't it in the Bible?

That's what's written on the tablet held by the Statue of Liberty

Here's the whole poem...


"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame..."
Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)


Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 

[IWasBored]

Re: it's a sad subject...

the first time we heard him sing this, in nebraska, those last words were the only ones i remembered...but they gave me the chills and made tears run down my cheeks. i love it so much! it is SO powerful, especially in the context it was sung.

fishy, i LOVE your sig...it makes me all melancholy, too.

i felt that way just hearing it on recording (ok, so i didn't cry, but i'm usre i would have if i was listening to it like you were)...or bootleg or whatever you want to call that thing...the obsessive lunatic in me has been listening to it over and over, each time hoping that the real player won't crap out (cos it does that a lot). i tend to sing along with anything i know ANY of the words to, and i can't keep my voice from cracking on "get" from the last "if you get to the top of the mountain" part...