Pat Boone, the iconic pop singer and devout Christian who first gained fame in the 1950s, released a song on Friday called “Where Did America Go?” that aims to be a wake-up call for all Americans to return to the country’s spiritual and constitutional roots.
“That old Constitution / Still holds the solution,” Boone sings. “But we gave up our freedoms for sale.”
Boone said in a Facebook announcement, “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 was made available on all streaming platforms today.
The song’s release comes on the heels of President Biden stepping down from the presidential campaign and “passing the torch” to Vice President Kamala Harris just a few months before election day. Additionally, it comes in the wake of the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
“This evening, our nation is in trouble,” Franklin Graham said as he prayed at the Republican National Convention last week. “We’re divided politically, racially, economically, with millions of people seeking refuge and hope in our dry and thirsty land. You’re the only one who can fix the complexity of the problems that we face today.”
“We ask that You will unite our hearts,” he continued. “Bring us together—one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Above: Pat Boone speaks at a book signing at the Billy Graham Library in February 2023.
Photo: Tom Queally