A guys. How are you . [applause] hey guys. How are you . Good morning. Im the old guy up here. [laughter] so, history as you all know is about words. Thats why youre here. The stately rhythms of the declaration of independence, the cadences of the constitution. But its also about the sounds. The muffled drum at lexington and concorde and the sound of the surf at omaha beach. The sound of a minister at the march on washington calling on us to live up to the full meaning of our creed. Its also about music. And music is one of the most universal expressions. You can listen to a song with which you might disagree, more continually and profitably than you can ever listen to a speech about something with which you disagree. Absolutely. As sure as the patriots were carrying their swords and guns, they were carrying their pens and prose and poetry along with them to move this revolution forward. And our country vote. Henry David Thoreau once wrote when i write music, i fear no danger and im in vulnerable. I see no foe and im related to the earliest times and the latest. That pretty much sums up what we wanted to write about what we set out to write this book. Thoreau. Yeah. Until three weeks ago, mcgraw thought the row was a running back for lsu. [laughter] you are here and inflection point. Hes the reason we won the national championship. Well done. I rooted for clemson just to piss mcgraw off. We are an unlikely duo. Im very fit. [laughter] very well known for my good looks and singing voice. When we started to do this project, i was in dallas and george w. Bush asked me, what are you working on . I said, im doing this project with tim mcgraw. Bush went to mcgraw . I like the wife. [laughter] so i was misinformed. I thought this was a project with faith hill and then his sorry ass shows up. Here we are. We are neighbors in nashville. Tim asked me an important question and i had never thought about it. He asked, given the periods of history ive written about, had i ever considered the role of music in that history . I was embarrassed to say i hadnt. As david once observed, a great nonfiction project is one thats like a liberal arts degree. You learn something about a world you are vaguely interested in but did not yet know. As an artist, you are at once of the culture, but you also dont want to be a partisan. No. Look, i think music as a way, like you said, transcending through party lines and racial lines and transcending speech barriers. Everything. It has a way of, a way to communicate that you cant communicate any other way with sometimes. I think it relates all the way back to the beginning of the spoken word. Stories have been told throughout history through music. Originally around fires i guess. For me, i want to be able to move people by the stories i tell that thats what i do with music is tell stories. Part of being involved with you in writing this book was to tell the story of how music helped propel that story forward. To every era in american life, the tensions of that era can be found in its music. 1768, John Dickinson wrote the liberty song. Which was seven years, eight years before the declaration of independence. We all know Yankee Doodle dandy. The starspangled banner. Which was a broad nationalist hymn. The songs of the enslaved which were fundamentally religious songs about deliverance. One of the things we had to do with was how do we deal with the civil war . Whats the word call the irrepressible conflict. Tim from louisiana, when he came to tennessee, he was excited because we have electricity. [laughter] this is the way itgoes for the whole talk. Very exciting, the hardback books. Yet never seen that. Big moment for him. Hopefully there is someone from louisiana here. Way in the back. Close to the bar. Okay. [laughter] well done. No problem there. My roommate in college was jack daniels, so im with you. We had to deal with exceed. Dixie. The south and if you think about the civil war, you can understand the tensions with dixie and the battle of the republic. Your thought on dixie are interesting. Like john said i grew up in the deep south in louisiana. I grew up literally in the middle of connor fields. My first memory is being in a house that used to be a hay barn in the middle of a cotton field. I grew up driving Cotton Pickers and working in cotton fields and moving irrigation fields. From an early time, dixie was part of our culture when i heard growing up. Still to this day, when i hear a song dixie, it stirs something in my soul. Even though in my head i realized it was a song written for a different purpose than what i believed it to be written for. Written again, as we said last night that you dont have to push hard to find irony in american life. Dixie was written for minstrel black faced performers in new york city to sing about how the informally enslaved which they can be back in slavery. Thats what the song was written for. One of the ways we had to find to deal with this is how do you tell the tensions of the story. Absolutely. When we were doing our book tour, we had a performance that went along with it. We had to go through the thought process of how do you sing the song or deliver the song in a way that doesnt come across to anyone as offensive . The way we decided to come up with that was a song called trilogy put together by nikki newberry. It combines dixie to the hymn of the republic and all my trials which is an old bahamian lullaby. I think it really sets the tone of what we were trying to say. And shows the ark of what it really means. Heres the video came from mississippi to tennessee and also found electricity. You may have heard of him. Thats the wrong song. [laughter] thats why meacham shouldnt have this controller. Ive got the clicker. Very exciting. He can handle a book but not anything electronic. Can you find american trilogy for me . If i had to sing, jamies going to throw me out. [laughter]. No. Theres another story for that song. We will get there. American trilogy. We will hum until then. Grabbed the guitar and break it out. [applause]. Nope. Keep going. Its the first one. No, thats the last one. But i do know that song really well. Thank god we will get there. Its actually the second song on the list of the tape you have i think. Sorry guys. The only one we havent played so far. Thats not it either. No hope . We live in hope. Okay. We will get to that. The american trilogy was really moving and you all enjoyed it. It was one of the most moving things we did. It really was. [laughter] one of the things you find when youre on the road with mcgraw as there are certain types of fans. Mine are all slightly, well, old. With a lot of gin blossoms and horn rooms. Yet am a lot more diverse fan base than i do. He had a lot more diverse fan base. On the tension front, dixie ballot and the republic, if you look at the depression. You have brother, can you spare a dime . Which is a very dark song versus happy days are here again which is the fdr optimism. God bless america. Irving berlin. Woody guthrie explicitly wrote this land is your land as an answer to god bless america. This idea, yall may have noticed, we are somewhat divided politically in the life of the country. But we always have been. Its amatter of degree , more than kind. Then you crash into the 60s where really there is both the new music exploding and the cultural tensions of the world we live in. Red versus blue, becomes so real. We tend to think of the 60s. When we talk about protest music or patriotic music. We tend to automatically go to the 60s, especially when we go to protest music. Some of the first music ive never growing up in i was born in 1967, growing up in the early 70s and listening to your parents music riding around in the car those first songs i remember are songs from that late 60s era that my mom was listening to the first time as an artist that it struck me that music has more meaning than just something to enjoy. Theres more to music than that. First time i remember listening and think these guys really have something to say. The not just playing a cute little song trying to entertain you. Theyre really trying to say something. That really connected with me and part of the reason i became an artist s hearing those songs from the 60s. Also when we started this project, it made me realize, the songs from the 60s. The fortunate son and protest songs like that draw a direct line to me, always back to the liberty song which was written by dickinson in 1768 or whenever it was. What he was trying to say. Protest songs have been there all along but we just know more about it because of the 60s. Protest and patriotisms are two sides of the same coin. Two wings of a bird to pick your metaphor. In january 1966, ed sullivan comes on theair. Imagine this is a great show. He had dinosaur, the four tops, the frosty the snowman voice. The comedian. And a guy named barry sadler. As jukeboxes that for morning and places like that. My mom tells me she worked at she met my stepdad when she was young single mom. And right by the jukebox. I was in that place all day every day listen to the jukebox. Faith action was to keep you in a playpen. [laughter] was looking we can do. [laughter] give me okie from muskogee. Can you do . A play that one. This is ed sullivan biting soldiers from the sky fearless men who jump and died men who mean just what they say the brave men of the green beret silver wings upon their chest these are men americas best 100 men will test today but only three when the green beret so it so interesting so number viewer singing along. Fascinating. So 1966 the number one song in america, by 1968 you could not have released that, right . That is how quickly the war changed for folks. For the war for sure. So Merle Haggard was riding along on our bus one day, i am sure drinking protein shakes. [laughter] and healthy vaping. [laughter] sure, theres a lot of hydration, water, and they passed a sign, road sign about muskogee oklahoma. So lets see if we get that one. Now are talking. We dont smoke marijuana in muskogee we dont take our tips on lsd we dont burn no down on main street we like living right and we dont make no party out of love and we like Holding Hands and pitch and will we dont let our hair grow long and shaggy like the hippies out in San Francisco do and i am proud to be an okie from muskogee a place where even squares can have a ball ways still are able and white lightning is still the biggest thrill of all now thats my kind of music go Merle Haggard. If i have to put a list together of my favorite artist, who would be the top of that list of all times it would be Merle Haggard because of his story for one thing and his talents and writing ability the way he spoke to a common man and perform songs. He had the greatest voices. I think every country singer, including myself especially the lineage of country singers that i have seen can directly put themselves back to Merle Haggard who goes all the way back to singing brakemen. So merle went back and forth on whether that was a parody or whether that was a red state anthem. And that depended on the protein shakes. [laughter] which one sold tickets at which time. [laughter] exactly. But you know nixon took advantage of this. In fact there are only two places Richard Nixon and march of 74 could safely go. One was the Economic Club of chicago, and the other was a grand old opry in nashville. He nixon was terribly clumsy and he is to do a thing with the yoyo and that was a disaster. Brent used to have to bring it for nixon when nixon would put a metal on someone, it would often remind them of combat. Because nixon would slice his hand open and blood would come out. They would have a flashback. So they finally had to put scotch tape on the metals. So he shows up, and he is greeted by a song written just to that theme is at that point everything for him and he was going to the base and that was 40 years ago, 45 years ago. There was very much a concerted effort on the part at that point of the Republican Party in the same way the Democratic Party was reaching out to the counterculture. When you look at the march on washington, peter paul and mary, bob dylan, really remarkable, you had an answer to this. So if you are despairing of where things are, this is a perennial story and then we crash into the 1980s with president reagan and the whole notion of morning in america. In two different songs that are really two sides of that coin. You can listen to Lee Greenwoods god bless the usa and it could really move you and you can listen to Bruce Springsteens born in the usa and be a big fan of that. They both have different meanings and they come from different places. In fact reagan wanted to adopt the springsteen song and bruce wouldnt have anything to do with it because i think they didnt quite understand or get what the song was saying from bruces point of view. Now you and springsteen i often think of in the same. I do to as a matter fact. Does anybody else . [laughter] we are putting this thing together and we were actually playing songs, we did our to our shows, they ended up being two and a sometimes with john talking. We were going to do i was going to do born in the usa and then i told john, he wanted me to it be bored in the usa. And i told john the story and i told the story throughout the tour we did. I promised myself i would never do a Bruce Springsteen song, ever. I tried it once and there is this thing called grammy carrots that always honors a big huge influence in music a big superstar is been around for long time and had a big impact on american music. Or music in general. And one year they were doing springsteen, and springsteen happen to be a friend of mine and he asked if it was safe that i could do tougher than the rest which is a spring skiing song we said sure we would be glad to do tougher than the rest. We learned it, we show up, and some of the biggest nays in the music business are there. Neil young, john legend, the list goes on with the biggest nays and we are proud to be part of that group. So we sing tougher than the rest and its as nervous as it is as hard for me to it match my wifes vocal because shes a fantastic singer. We get through to soundly good we get back to the table and bruces congratulating you on how good it sounds and thanks me for doing it. And he said by the way, the end of the show, i am going to get up and sing i camera than in the song now. In his second. Glory days i met a getup is and sing glory days and he said would you mind. You cant take him anywhere he needs me kate l. [laughter] has all the faith in us we are all good get behind him and sing glory days if you dont mind coming up. He said sure we kill and come up in the on the stage was staying in bruce and neil young, cant wait. So im sitting right beside bruce and so than inc. Goes up and starts playing and starts in glory days and he calls all the artist that. So we go and stand up, standing at my bruce i have my cowboy hat onto my wife is beside me, the whole light is beside us and bruces their singing, nice start to get to the second verse and he looks back at one of the artists im not been in the artist looks about what arsons it hade to the second verse. And hes like now i dont think i want to do that. Looks at another artist and second versions like no i dont do that and at this time of starting to get a little embarrassed my friend that nobody wants to sing the song he looks over at me and says hey cowboy hat, on the microphone, come sing the song. Comes in the second verse. I didnt know the second verse. [laughter] and i didnt want to be the third person to say no to Bruce Springsteen so i thought how hard can it be . [laughter] i know the song, everybody in the Music Industry is here why dont i just step up and act like it wouldve doing . Bad mistake. Those songs, the lyrics are on the teleprompter but i cant find the melody to save my life right so i get two lines into it and i am all over the place and messed up and bruce pushes now the wind starts singing the song. I turned beet red i am totally embarrassed and i know ive ruined my career. I go to setback in line beside my wife my wife pulls one of these on me. [laughter] literally moves away for me. So thats what i will never ever do a springsteen song for the rest of my life. [laughter] [applause] plus nobody can ever do it as good as Bruce Springsteen. Nursing to try born down in a dead mans town the first cant i took when i hit the ground and up like a dog thats been beat to much so you spend half your life just covering up born in the usa i was born in the usa i was born in the usa born in the usa got in a little home town jam its easy to get caught up in this its such a good song. You sorted beat your chest and be very patriotic when you hear that. But when you listen to the verses you realize its coming from a little bit different point of view. So word reached president reagan in the fall of 84 that the song had come out and he said this was his favorite Bruce Springsteen song and add to which the White House Press corps always respectful asked what his previous favorite Bruce Springsteen song had been. [laughter] it took three days, the word came back it was born to run. And no one was sure whether president reagan actually heard that. But he was in new jersey, is a swing state. And it was the core remember of what we now used to call reagan democrats. So the fact that a republican was caring new jersey was a big deal. Bruce springsteen came straight out that constituency that president reagan was trying to affirm in 1984. So he gives a couple of speeches where he says new jerseys own Bruce Springsteen has made this patriotic song, with a patriotic song is about a guy getting killed in caisson and not been able to find a job. So george will had written a column, this is how ronald ragan learned about Bruce Springsteen mr. George will so that explains a lot. And george is the only person, present company included who ever wore a bowtie and a double breasted blazer to a bruce bing steen concert. I dont think its at striking, but apparently it is. [laughter] so there was a another song, that merv griffin had discovered. Lee greenwood had been a car dealer in vegas, he came to nashville made a name for himself with the song, played it on mervs show, is very close to missus reagan sent a video cassette would you explain to your grandchildren later what those are. Of greenwood singing this this became the reagan anthem and has an amazing power today. It is such a great song that song still strikes me every time i hear it. Because i associated with growing up and hearing that song and feeling very patriotic and very moving and stirring. And certainly Lee Greenwood is a fantastic singer and writer. So even today when i hear this song it still moves me although sometimes when it plays bothers me. [laughter] then tomorrow ive worked for all my life and i had to start again with just my children and my wife i thank my lucky stars to be here today that the flag still sounds for freedom and they cant take that away im proud to be an american where at least i know im free and i wont forget the men who died who gave that right to me and i gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today because their eight no doubt i love this land god bless the usa yeah. [applause] Lee Greenwood, what an incredible song to speak to a great country. And paid tribute to such a great country and do it at a popular way with a song like that. It was pretty incredible and it still incredible when you hear it at such a great piece of music. In it strictly linked to the mid 80s and then to september 11. In many ways. And president reagan, i never met president reagan with my regrets but i got to know missus reagan a little bit. [laughter] i dont need to tell anybody hear about that. [laughter] i have scars from barbara bush, you all have scars from nancy. [laughter] but her president reagans transport formative power was so amazing. Jimmy stewart once said if ronnie had married nancy the first time he wouldve won an academy award. [laughter] which is probably true. Reagans visual imagination was so important. And so he as you know, his great phrase was a shining city on a hill. Well, hes the only guy i know who can improve on jesus, right . His city on a hill is from sermon on the mount in the new testament. But the edition of the word shining is so important in that that i actually, not making this up, i have heard ministers from pulpits saying as jesus said america shall be as a shining city upon a hill. How that was rendered in the original i dont know. But i got to miss reagan a little bit late in her life and we were at lunch one day. And you although she knew more gossip than you. And sometimes it was even accurate. And so i was always embarrassed because she knew far more about what was going on in washington than i did. So i had just heard a minister say this. A couple of weeks before about jesus and the shining city on the hill. So i has that lunch with their sheet ordered that third of a cobb salad at the belair and not eaten it. [laughter] and a third man, its incredible president reagan improved on jesus. And she looked without blinking and said oh yes thats the kind of thing ronnie did. [laughter] may we all someday be loved as nancy davis loved ronald reagan. It was what greenwood did was capture a moment where patriotism from the green berets until unchecked until about greenwood had fallen into squares bill, right . Thats what okey was about. And it was really an affirmative cultural statement, that patriotism could be popular again. And we can make that case as a speech, you can make that case in it campaign, but we went around america and when people when you say stand up, lots of people now stand up and particularly military families. And its always a pleasure to sing that song especially when john and i do those things together. Its a highlight of the evening to do things together when we perform that song and see what it stands for what it means to people. Thats what music does its always been a part of in my life. It marks moments in your life. And sometimes you will hear a song and it put you right back into a situation. Sometimes it can be just a mundane situation in everyday situation. I hear im not lisa by jussie coulter, and it puts me in seventh grade laying in a hammock with my halfasleep math homework on my chest. s planes a lot about his accounting. [laughter] we also talked about the idea music shows up in places big huge part in pivotal moments in our country and in our lives along the way. You know, back to the Second World War for second, Irving Berlin, wrote god bless america. In the first world war. Thought it was too sentimental so he put it in a drawer. Pulls it out in 1940 41 and it becomes the song it became. By the way do you all know the churchill story about berlin . We quickly, so as i am berlin, remember the Great British philosopher was an attache at the British Embassy during the war in washington. And he would write these marvelous reports about the american political situation in the Prime Minister read them. So he would put out word that would mr. Berlin visits london i went to see him. So mr. Berlin comes to london, they set up lunch, its just the Prime Minister and mr. Berlin. They are discussing american politics, mr. Berlin leaves, one of churchills assistance is how was lunch . Churchill said all he knows he writes much better about politics that he talks. It was Irving Berlin who had mistakenly come to lunch,. [laughter] so its amazing we all arent speaking german as it turns out. The other great churchill story which has no relevance whatsoever, but you will like. Is churchill was in the mens room of the house of commons one day standing at a long trough doing what one does. And clement attlee, the socialist Prime Minister comes in and churchill steps away. And he looks at him and says are you feeling standoffish today winston . He said no just every time you see Something Big you want to nationalize it. [laughter] [applause] see, im usually very highbrow, and this just you bring it out of me. [laughter] so we are in a divided era of music has represented, illuminated, tried to assuage our divisions in the past. What you see the role in this era . For your craft . For my craft in this era. For me, sometimes music as they just to make you feel good. And right now we really need that. We also need music for people to be able to hear and get both sides. No matter what side of the aisle you fall on, no matter what type of music you like. But some way that stirs your soul and let you see insight into another point of view. Music has a way of doing that. And i think for me, when those songs come along or when that inspiration comes along i try to do that. Sometimes i just try to make a song to make you laugh. Or cry. One of the songs that really, for me is one of those trends injury, you just mix up words but thats why im here. [laughter] s heat. Hes teaching me vocabulary the same time. Thats one of the great things about writing a book with jon meacham is i got my own history lesson. I am about that accurate with wikipedia. That was a very george w. Bush moments, so he might be president next. [laughter] you know the story about strategically . Very quickly. So, you have to be pretty confident in yourself, and george w. Bush is, to have a conference at your president ial library on comedy in the presidency. Thats a pretty bold thing. So he invites will ferrell and Lorne Michaels to come down to the library in dallas. They are sitting on backstage before they go on and bush says, ive made this pretty easy for yall. Ms. It would mean mr. President guzman i gave you strategic. [laughter] and michael and ferrell look at each other and say should be telling . You know mr. President we made that up. And bush was crushed because he thought hed set it. But he fought back and said yeah well you didnt make up missed underestimated. [laughter] so what you say . What i was trying to say in my louisiana language, my native tongue, was. Simultaneous translation. Music has a way of crossing all boundaries. One of the songs that i noticed when i sing, no matter what audience im singing to is when i do a song live like you were dying this is one of those songs that i feel very privileged and blessed to be a vessel for that song. I dont feel like thats my song i feel that is a song for everyone and they find a way to relate to that. Thats what great music does. I am fortunate in my career that i am able to have songs like that is part of my repertoire. As an artist, that is ultimately what you want to do, is move people and bring people together that they may not have been brought together without a song like that, without a message like that. Said you ever think about the difference between a political song and a cultural one . I dont. I think i just think about good songs and songs that move you. I dont think i would necessarily do a song if it was just meant to be political. I think i would do a song thats meant to move you. And whether it tests political angle to it maybe . But still fits a wellwritten song and a song that has an emotion that can connect not just to one side of a society but to all society. And i think thats really important and i admire that. That which you be more cultural than political i guess. And one of the things, remember we are the sum of our parts. Right . So one of the uncomfortable realities of the current era is that politicians are far more often beers of who we are rather than boulders. If we really wanted something different, they would give us something different. Thats the nature of the enterprise. And so if you can create art, if you can create a climate in which maybe you spend a little more time listening to those better angels versus the worst instincts we could nudge things forward a little bit. And thats about the best we can do. You can get to 51 of the time doing the right thing, thats a heck of a good day. And i dont make it very often , particularly when im with mitt gurob. Thats why i keep hoping faith is finished up but she hasnt yet. Salome tell you a quick story one of the last times i saw the senior president bush, was in maine two summers ago. And a buddy of mine in nashville had just released a song and i played it on my phone for president bush. He listened to it at that point was very difficult for him to talk, he was parkinsons but had very quiet about it. So when he spoke, you listened. And we played this and he said beautiful, beautiful, so heres a song that is about us. You know theres a right that goes by the front door dont forget the keys under the mat childhood starts shattering always stay humble and kind go to church because you know your mama says to visit grandpa every chance that you get it wont to be a waste of time always stay humble and kind pulled the door say please say thank you dont steal, dont cheat, and dont lie i know you got mountains to climb but always stay humble and kind when the dreams your dream income to you when the work you put in is realized let yourself feel the pride but always stay humble and kind my friend tim mcgraw so if i could tell a quick story about that song. I wish i could take credit for writing that song but lori mckenna wrote that sign a great song writer and artist. She sat down to tell you how great song comes about and you said earlier, she sat down in her living room, she has five children, her husband was a plumber, and she sat down on her living room because some of her kids had moved away. She had two kids left at home and she was wanting to write a message to her kids about how to treat people when they go out of the house and leave home. So she sat down a road this little note to really for her children knowing she only had two left at home and she wanted to read it to them when they walk to the door prayed she wrote it in 30 minutes. Thats the power of music. Absolutely. Thank you sir. [applause]