Power and Glory

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An a cappella song from the great Phil Ochs, portraying a true-to-life image of the United States of America … at its best and at its worst.

Description

Listen to the a cappella version of Phil Ochs’ “Power and Glory” here …

Often described as “the other national anthem,” Phil Ochs has written a loving ode to the best and the worst of America. This a cappella arrangement is lively and upbeat but with a certain restraint that acknowledges there are serious issues with which the United States must grapple if it is to truly sparkle from sea to shining sea.

I have adored this piece of music my entire life. We sing it each year at our Passover seder table because it embodies that values and messages that the Passover story conveys: the value of freedom, and the importance of protecting freedom for all.

Now, here’s the rub. Since I did not compose this song, royalties must be paid to the copyright owners for using this arrangement. You’ll have to purchase and download your copies at https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/the-power-and-glory-23657813.html.

Once you’ve done that, I hope you’ll let me know, even send me a video of your performance. I think “Power and Glory” is an important and powerfully beautiful piece of music, worthy of being sung so many decades after Phil Ochs wrote it.

Billy

 

lyrics

POWER AND GLORY
Phil Ochs

Come on and take a walk with me through this green and growing land
Walk through the meadows and the mountains and the sand
Walk through the valleys and the rivers and the plains
Walk through the sun and walk through the rain
Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
For her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Glory shall rest on us all

From Colorado, Kansas and the Carolinas too
Virginia and Alaska, from the old to the new
Texas and Ohio and the California shore
Tell me who could ask for more
Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
For her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Glory shall rest on us all

Yet she’s only as rich as the poorest of the poor
Only as free as a padlocked prison door
Only as strong as our love for this land
Only as tall as we stand
For here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
For her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Glory shall rest on us all

Come on and take a walk with me through this green and growing land
Walk through the meadows and the mountains and the sand
Walk through the valleys and the rivers and the plains
Walk through the sun and walk through the rain
Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
For her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Glory shall rest on us all, on us all

 

credits

words and music by Phil Ochs
a cappella arrangement by Billy Dreskin (BMI)
Copyright © 1963 BARRICADE MUSIC, INC. Copyright Renewed
All Rights in the United States Controlled and Administered by ALMO MUSIC CORP.
All Rights Reserved – Used by Permission
sound engineering by Larry Alexander (Studio L, Congers, NY, May 2026)
released on May 15, 2026

Additional information

Download Format

MP3 Audio, Lead Sheet (pdf), 2 Voices (pdf)

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