"With God on Our Side" is a song by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, 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.

Lyrics

The lyrics address the tendency of Americans to believe that

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

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 History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

events, including the slaughter of Native Americans in the nineteenth century, the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, World Wars I and II,

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

and the betrayal of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...

. Dylan added an additional verse about the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

for live versions in the 1980s (one which was recorded by

The Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 19 ...

) that ran thus: The words from the song "whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side" inspired

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

to write the lyrics of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'' from Judas's perspective.

Controversy concerning plagiarism

The

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

of "With God on Our Side" is essentially identical to the traditional

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

folk song "The Merry Month of May", which was also used by

Dominic Behan Dominic Behan ( ; ga, Doiminic Ó Beacháin; 22 October 1928 – 3 August 1989) was an Irish songwriter, singer, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in Irish and English. He was also a socialist and an Irish republican. Born i ...

in his song "

The Patriot Game "The Patriot Game" is an Irish ballad with lyrics by Dominic Behan and a melody from the traditional tune " One Morning in May". History The song concerns an incident during the Border Campaign launched by the Irish Republican Army during the 19 ...

". 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. Behan took the view that the provenance of Dylan's entire body of work must be questioned. Behan exercised the same

folk tradition Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

as Dylan in writing the song, having himself borrowed the melody.

Incidents of censorship

In a 1984 interview with

David Barsamian David Barsamian (born 1945) is an Armenian-American radio broadcaster, writer, and the founder and director of ''Alternative Radio'', a Boulder, Colorado-based syndicated weekly public affairs program heard on some 250 radio stations worldwide ...

, Anthony B. Herbert reported that while serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War, he was asked by a general to stop playing a record containing Joan Baez's version of "With God on Our Side", with the general describing Baez as "anti-military".

Live recordings

Dylan and

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

performed the song as a duet at the

Newport Folk Festival Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foca ...

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 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. 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). 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.

Use in films and documentaries

*"With God on Our Side" plays over the closing credits of two films,

Oren Jacoby Oren Jacoby is a director and producer of documentary films including; ''Shadowman (2017 film), Shadowman (2017),'' ''My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes'' (2014), ''Lafayette: The Lost Hero''(2010), ''Constantine's Sword (film), Constantine's ...

's 2007 documentary on anti-Semitism, ''

Constantine's Sword ''Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews: A History'' (2001) is a book by James Carroll, a former priest, which documents the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the long European history of religious antisemitism as a precursor to racia ...

'', and

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

's 2008 biography of George W. Bush, '' W.'' *Used several times in Ken Burns' ''

The Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

''. *

K'naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence ...

's version of the song was used during the ending credits in Michael Moore's 2018 film ''

Fahrenheit 11/9 ''Fahrenheit 11/9'' is a 2018 American documentary by filmmaker Michael Moore about the 2016 United States presidential election and presidency of Donald Trump up to the time of the film's release. The film is a follow-up to Moore's '' Fahren ...

''.

Covers

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

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". *

Straylight Run Straylight Run is an emo band based in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. The band released two albums, ''Straylight Run'' and '' The Needles the Space'', as well as three EPs, ''Prepare to Be Wrong'', ''About Time'', and ''Un Mas Dos''. In 2010, ...

covered the song on their ''

Prepare to Be Wrong ''Prepare to Be Wrong'' is an EP by Straylight Run, released on October 4, 2005 by Victory Records. The song "It Never Gets Easier" was originally titled "Costello". Release "Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)" was released to radio on October 25, 2005. ...

EP''. *

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

-based

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Wire Train Wire Train was a San Francisco-based alternative rock band, who released six albums in the 1980s and 1990s. History The band was formed in 1983 by four students from San Francisco State University, Kevin Hunter, Kurt Herr, Frederico Gil-Sola, a ...

recorded the song as "God On Our Side" for their 1985 album Between Two Words, and the recording appears on their compilation "Last Perfect Thing." * The 2012 compilation album ''Chimes of Freedom'' features a version by Canadian musician

K'Naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence ...

with verses reflecting the singer's upbringing in Somalia.

Notes

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 {{DEFAULTSORT:With God On Our Side Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs 1964 songs Joan Baez songs Anti-war songs Folk rock songs Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer)