It’s an all American #ThrowbackThursday!
Dated 1917, “America It’s Up to You” is a song written by Alevia Chins and Horace Haws of Omaha, Nebraska. Half the price of the music was donated in support of the Red Cross during World War I. Originally published by Haws & Chins Co. Music Publishers in Fairbury, Nebraska.
Verse 1:
You love the freedom that Old Glory gives you,
You know the men to whom the credit’s due
They’re men that gladly gave their lives to save their sweethearts and their wives
They were Americans thru and thru
The country’s going to need a lot of men
There’s lots of them will not return again
But our flag we must protect they must treat it with respect
America it’s up to you
Verse 2:
Don’t leave the fighting to the other fellow,
Don’t let them say we’ve got a streak of yellow
Remember Lincoln and your flag the chance to fight should make you glad
When you think of what it means to you
Don’t go and hide behind your sweethearts skirt
Don’t let them say Americans will shirk
Let us all go forth and fight for our freedom and our right
America it’s up to you
Chorus:
America its up to you
To show what you can do
We must take this war to heart all of us must do our part
And fight for the Red White and Blue
The president has called on you
Show him that you’re true blue
There’s a debt we owe to France to pay her here’s our chance
America it’s up to you
This image and musical performance is published and owned by the Polley Music Library (Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska), which contains just over two hundred fifty pieces of Nebraska sheet music, as well as concert programs, manuscripts, theatre programs, photographs, and other Nebraska memorabilia which features an element of music. You can also listen to a dozen performances of selections from this music collection performed by local musicians.
See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!
The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.
