George Washington Slept Here

by Dean Friedman

George Washington Slept Here  mp3 (file size 6,320kb) - download

George Washington Slept Here  realaudio - streaming

 

An ode to America's founding father, George Washington, first president of the United States, that celebrates the spirit and heritage of America.
 

---

 

 

George Washington Slept Here by Dean Friedman    I was driving down the thruway as the rain began to pour.  So I pulled into a roadside inn and stumbled through the door. The room was dank and musty all the furniture was worn The only light a neon sign flashing off and on The man behind the counter said, "Sonny, would you like a beer?" And a plaque above the bar read, "George Washington Slept Here."   George Washington Slept Here George Washington Slept Here   Peace on Earth Let Freedom Ring George Washington Slept Here.   As he handed me a brew a few drops spilled upon the floor. And he began to tell a tale he'd told a thousand times before. Of a farmer from Virginia just answering his country's call Who lost every major battle save the biggest of them all In the freezing dead of winter on a starless Christmas Eve He crossed the icy river in the darkness like a thief The enemy in revelry were taken by surprise 1000 Hessian prisoners 'neath the cold New Jersey skies.   George Washington Slept Here...   From Germantown to Boston from Princeton to White Plains. He led a ragtag army on a suicide campaign. A frozen hell at Valley Forge as winter takes its toll Those simple lines, " These are the times, the times that try men’s souls. Without a prayer,  against all odds they finally turned the tide. And after all the smoke had cleared 10,000 men had died.   George Washington Slept Here...   From mountain tops to valleys from far inland to the sea. They fought for their independence and their new democracy. Across the Hudson River they built a mighty chain. To keep the British ships from sailing north to Lake Champlain. They forged it in their foundries from a hundred tons of iron ore. Stretched across 1,000 links from shore to shore.   George Washington Slept Here...   Now, any other man, he said, would've crowned himself as king. But this one stayed his hand so a new nation could take wing. From the first shot heard around the world 'til the final soldier fell, He did a job he never sought and he served his country well. And if it’s not self evident we'd do well to recall Here's a man who stood for liberty and justice for us all.   George Washington Slept Here...   All at once the rain had stopped, the moon was shining bright I took one last sip before I headed back into the night. I thought about the colonists and their fight for liberty. And how the actions of a single man can alter history. As I placed a tip upon the bar I felt a sudden chill There upon the counter lay a single dollar bill.   George Washington Slept Here...   Now listen, wayward children as you travel far and wide Remember no matter where you go we're all the same inside. And never take for granted all the freedoms you enjoy. Or a day will come some wicked son will break you like a toy. And don't forget the kind of world this might have been. If America had not been strong enough to fight and win.   George Washington Slept Here George Washington Slept Here   Peace on Earth Let Freedom Ring George Washington Slept Here.

from 'The Treehouse Journals' copyright © 2004 Dean Friedman Music (PRS) HEAR MORE AUDIO FILES HOME