With God on Our Side (song)

"With God on Our Side"
"With God on Our Side"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album The Times They Are a-Changin'
Released	January 13, 1964
Recorded	August 7, 1963
Genre	Folk
Length	7:08
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Bob Dylan
Producer(s)	Tom Wilson

"With God on Our Side" is a song by Bob Dylan, released as the third track on his 1964 album The Times They Are A-Changin'. Dylan first performed the song during his debut at The Town Hall in New York City on April 12, 1963.^[1]

Lyrics[]

The lyrics address the tendency of Americans to believe that God will invariably side with them and oppose those with whom they disagree, thus leaving unquestioned the morality of wars fought and atrocities committed by their country. Dylan mentions several historical events, including the slaughter of Native Americans in the nineteenth century, the Spanish–American War, the American Civil War, World Wars I and II, The Holocaust, the Cold War and the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot.^[2]

Dylan added an additional verse about the Vietnam War for live versions in the 1980s (one which was recorded by The Neville Brothers) that ran thus:

In the nineteen-sixties came the Vietnam War / Can somebody tell me what we're fightin' for?
So many young men died / So many mothers cried
Now I ask the question / Was God on our side?^[3]

The words from the song "whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side" inspired Tim Rice to write the lyrics of Jesus Christ Superstar from Judas's perspective.^[4]

Controversy over composition[]

The melody of "With God on Our Side" is essentially identical to the traditional Irish folk song "The Merry Month of May", which was also used by Dominic Behan in his song "The Patriot Game". The opening verse is also similar to the second verse of Behan's song, in which the narrator gives his name and age. Behan criticized Dylan publicly by claiming the melody as an original composition.^[5] Behan took the view that the provenance of Dylan's entire body of work must be questioned. Behan exercised the same folk tradition as Dylan in writing the song, having himself borrowed the melody.^[6]

Incidents of censorship[]

Anthony B. Herbert, Vietnam War veteran and psychologist, reported an incident related to Joan Baez's 1963 recording of "With God on Our Side" in a 1984 interview with David Barsamian:

I was called to Vietnam [in 1968] from the Middle East…While I was in Spain [en route], I bought some Joan Baez records. I went to my room in the Bachelor Officer's Quarters to listen to [them]…There was a knock on the door. It was an individual in civilian clothes. He asked me my name and rank. I just looked at him. I was [then] a major [US Army].
He asked, "[Are] those Joan Baez records?"
I said, "Yeah".
He said, "She's like anti-military…"
[...]
He said, "No, you’ll have to leave the building. That's anti-military music." She was singing "[With] God on Our Side", I think, at the time.
I said, "I think I agree with [the lyrics]. I’m not anti-military, and I agree with what she's singing in her songs."^[7]

Live recordings[]

Dylan and Joan Baez performed the song as a duet at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1963 and July 1964, and their July 27, 1963 performance was released on Newport Broadside: Topical Songs at the Newport Folk Festival 1963 (Vanguard VSD-79144). The liner notes by Stacy Williams mention Dominic Behan's "Patriot Game", which Williams points out that Behan had borrowed from the traditional "The Merry Month of May". Another live recording of Dylan and Baez performing "With God on Our Side", recorded on October 31, 1964, can be found on the album The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall, released in 2004.^[8]

A rare post-1960s performance of the song, recorded on November 4, 1975, with extra lyrics, was included on the bonus disc in the box set The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (2019).^[9] Conversely, Dylan's performance of the song on the album Bob Dylan Unplugged, released in 1995, significantly omits verses about the Germans and the Holocaust, and the Russians and the Cold War.^[10]

Use in films and documentaries[]

"With God on Our Side" plays over the closing credits of two films, Oren Jacoby's 2007 documentary on anti-Semitism, Constantine's Sword, and Oliver Stone's 2008 biography of George W. Bush, W.
Used several times in Ken Burns' The Vietnam War.
K'naan's version of the song was used during the ending credits in Michael Moore's 2018 film Fahrenheit 11/9.

Covers[]

Manfred Mann used it as the second song on the B-side of their EP The One in the Middle because, according to the record's liner notes, Dylan had attended a gig and declared them "real groovy".^[11]
The 2012 compilation album Chimes of Freedom features a version by Canadian musician K'Naan with verses reflecting the singer's upbringing in Somalia.

Notes[]

^ "Town Hall | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ "With God on Our Side | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ "With God on Our Side Lyrics". www.lyrics.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ "The stormy, surprising history of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'". AP NEWS. 2018-04-01. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ Shelton, Robert (1986). No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. New York: Beech Tree Books. p. 213. ISBN 0-688-05045-X.
^ Wilentz, Sean (2010). Bob Dylan in America. New York: Doubleday. p. 70. ISBN 9780385529884.
^ Herbert, 1984. p. 1(transcript)
^ "The Bootleg Series, Vol 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ "Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ "MTV Unplugged | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ The One in the Middle (liner notes). Manfred Mann. EMI. 1965.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

References[]

Herbert, Anthony B. 1984. "The Vietnam War: Atrocities and Coverups" (Program #HERA002. Recorded in Boulder, Colorado on August 12, 1984) https://www.alternativeradio.org/products/hera002

[1] "Town Hall | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.

[2] "With God on Our Side | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.

[3] "With God on Our Side Lyrics". www.lyrics.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.

[4] "The stormy, surprising history of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'". AP NEWS. 2018-04-01. Retrieved 2021-01-03.

[direct-5] Shelton, Robert (1986). No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. New York: Beech Tree Books. p. 213. ISBN 0-688-05045-X.

[sean-6] Wilentz, Sean (2010). Bob Dylan in America. New York: Doubleday. p. 70. ISBN 9780385529884.

[7] Herbert, 1984. p. 1(transcript)

[8] "The Bootleg Series, Vol 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.

[9] "Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.

[10] "MTV Unplugged | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.

[11] The One in the Middle (liner notes). Manfred Mann. EMI. 1965.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

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show v t Bob Dylan
Discography Awards Bibliography Songs written by Dylan
Studio albums	Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan The Times They Are a-Changin' Another Side of Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home Highway 61 Revisited Blonde on Blonde John Wesley Harding Nashville Skyline Self Portrait New Morning Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Dylan Planet Waves Blood on the Tracks The Basement Tapes Desire Street-Legal Slow Train Coming Saved Shot of Love Infidels Empire Burlesque Knocked Out Loaded Down in the Groove Oh Mercy Under the Red Sky Good as I Been to You World Gone Wrong Time Out of Mind Love and Theft Modern Times Together Through Life Christmas in the Heart Tempest Shadows in the Night Fallen Angels Triplicate Rough and Rowdy Ways
Live albums	Before the Flood Hard Rain Bob Dylan at Budokan Real Live Dylan & the Dead The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration MTV Unplugged Live 1961–2000: Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances Live at The Gaslight 1962 Live at Carnegie Hall 1963 In Concert – Brandeis University 1963 The 1966 Live Recordings Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings
Compilations	Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II Dylan The Basement Tapes Masterpieces Biograph Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 The Best of Bob Dylan (1997) The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2 The Essential Bob Dylan Bob Dylan: The Collection The Best of Bob Dylan (2005) Blues Dylan The Original Mono Recordings The 50th Anniversary Collection Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Collection Vol. One The 50th Anniversary Collection 1963 The 50th Anniversary Collection 1964
The Bootleg Series	Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 Vol. 4: The Royal Albert Hall concert Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964 Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966 Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981 Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks Vol. 15: Travelin' Thru, 1967–1969
Bootlegs	From Newport to the Ancient Empty Street in L.A. Great White Wonder List of Basement Tapes songs (1967,1975)
Concert tours	England Tour (1965) World Tour (1966) Tour with The Band (1974) Rolling Thunder Revue (1975–1976) World Tour (1978) Gospel Tour (1979–1980) World Tour (1981) European Tour (1984) True Confessions Tour (1986) Tour with the Grateful Dead (1987) Temples in Flames Tour (1987)
Never Ending Tour	1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Films	Dont Look Back Eat the Document Renaldo and Clara Hard to Handle The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration MTV Unplugged Masked and Anonymous No Direction Home I'm Not There Soundtrack 65 Revisited The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963–1965 Trouble No More - A Musical Film Rolling Thunder Revue
Writings	Tarantula Writings and Drawings Chronicles: Volume One
Books about Dylan	The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Bob Dylan, Performing Artist Invisible Republic The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan
Related	Recording Sessions The Band Traveling Wilburys Electric Dylan controversy Artists who have covered Dylan songs Joan Baez Suze Rotolo The Telegraph magazine Festival The Concert for Bangladesh Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid Hearts of Fire Highway 61 Interactive Theme Time Radio Hour Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan Chimes of Freedom (album) The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes
Family	Sara Dylan (first wife) Carolyn Dennis (second wife) Jesse Dylan (son) Jakob Dylan (son)
Category

show v t Bob Dylan songs by album (1960s)
Bob Dylan	"Talkin' New York" "In My Time of Dyin'" "Man of Constant Sorrow" "Fixin' to Die" "Pretty Peggy-O" "Gospel Plow" "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" "House of the Risin' Sun" "Song to Woody" "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan	"Blowin' in the Wind" "Girl from the North Country" "Masters of War" "Down the Highway" "Bob Dylan's Blues" "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" "Bob Dylan's Dream" "Oxford Town" "Corrina, Corrina" "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance" "I Shall Be Free"
The Times They Are a-Changin'	"The Times They Are a-Changin'" "Ballad of Hollis Brown" "With God on Our Side" "One Too Many Mornings" "North Country Blues" "Only a Pawn in Their Game" "Boots of Spanish Leather" "When the Ship Comes In" "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" "Restless Farewell"
Another Side of Bob Dylan	"All I Really Want to Do" "Black Crow Blues" "Spanish Harlem Incident" "Chimes of Freedom" "To Ramona" "Motorpsycho Nitemare" "My Back Pages" "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" "Ballad in Plain D" "It Ain't Me Babe"
Bringing It All Back Home	"Subterranean Homesick Blues" "She Belongs to Me" "Maggie's Farm" "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" "Outlaw Blues" "On the Road Again" "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" "Mr. Tambourine Man" "Gates of Eden" "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
Highway 61 Revisited	"Like a Rolling Stone" "Tombstone Blues" "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" "From a Buick 6" "Ballad of a Thin Man" "Queen Jane Approximately" "Highway 61 Revisited" "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" "Desolation Row"
Blonde on Blonde	"Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35" "Pledging My Time" "Visions of Johanna" "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" "I Want You" "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" "Just Like a Woman" "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine" "Absolutely Sweet Marie" "4th Time Around" "Obviously 5 Believers" "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
John Wesley Harding	"John Wesley Harding" "As I Went Out One Morning" "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" "All Along the Watchtower" "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" "Drifter's Escape" "I Am a Lonesome Hobo" "The Wicked Messenger" "Down Along the Cove" "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
Nashville Skyline	"Girl from the North Country" "To Be Alone with You" "I Threw It All Away" "Lay Lady Lay" "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You"
Other	"Mixed-Up Confusion" "Positively 4th Street" "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" "If You Gotta Go, Go Now"
Lists	Songs written by Dylan