Let Freedom Fly 2

Let Freedom Fly

An Analysis of the song Independence Day by Martina McBride

Melody Hammann

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

Abstract

Songs have great meaning behind them. In Martina McBride’s song Independence Day, she deals with the difficult issue of domestic violence and abuse. The writer of the song, Gretchen Peters, uses strong imagery, metaphors and ethos to connect to an audience who may have dealt with the issue personally.

Every great song in history has made it to greatness by having a meaning that strikes chords in its audience. The meaning of a song’s lyrics makes all the difference of the song. Martina McBride's song Independence Day hits right into the heart of her audience by using metaphors, imagery and figurative to bring to light the issue of domestic violence.

Domestic Violence is an issue that, although only a few may fully realize it, affects everyone. It happens when one family member or friend constantly abuses a person that is close to them. It can happen in any home, in any family and in typical situations, it is a topic left unspoken. It happens behind closed doors and sometimes the scars can remain hidden, but the emotional scars can last forever. Many people refuse to talk about it, because the abuser often forces compliance. For thousands of years, domestic violence had been an ignored issue. Women were deemed as a lesser sex and were discriminated. Men were superior and often beat their women into submission. However, with the emergence of the battered women’s movement, among others, began to give ground in the 1970’s, “spousal abuse became a public issue” (History, 2011). Finally in 1984, Congress passed a bill that allowed states to assist in incidents of domestic abuse and provide shelter to the abused. However, domestic abuse still went remained out of the “public sphere and it still continued to go unnoticed in the medical community” (2011). It was not until two court cases of Anita Hill and Nicole Brown who were both sexual abused that domestic violence finally became a social issue.

The song was original written by Gretchen Peters. Her intent with this song is to show the dangers of domestic violence and expose it, when it had been hidden for so long. Domestic violence was a topic that at one time everyone knew about, but no one ever really brought it to the surface. This song helped put domestic violence as a forefront issue to be finally dealt with. Although in an interview, Peters said that she never experienced domestic violence herself, she tells this story through in the eyes of an eight year old little girl (Ortega). In “Passage A”, the song by Martina McBride, lines 1.1- 1.7 she gives the background on the family and the introduction to the story. The little girl tells in clear imagery of the abuse her mom had and that “daddy left the proof on her cheek” (Line 1.4). The song makes no clear mention of their names, nor gives them any specific details. This gives the song a more general appeal to everyone, because they can place themselves in the shoes of the little girl. They can see the story through her eyes and can sympathize with her. The author very cleverly uses pathos to reach the heart of her audience. Through this she not only presents it as a pertinent issue, but an issue that destroys the families and lives of anyone.

The song hits to the heart of domestic violence by exposing it for what it is. It shows how violence destroys a home, a family and how everyone just turns a blind eye to it. She appeals to emotion by showing the issue through the eyes of a little girl. She also appeals to an American patriotism by giving a double meaning of “Independence Day”. In this song, Independence Day has a double meaning that reinforces the patriotic appeal: it means literally, the day that the story takes place which is a day of national pride, but also, figuratively, it means independence for this family. The author uses ethos by appealing to the audience’s pride in country by saying “let freedom ring, let the white dove sing.” (line 3.1). Americans have a strong sense of pride in their country having freedom and by appealing to this pride, she helps the audience see just how constricting domestic violence is and how it takes away from a person’s Constitution rights and freedoms. She also achieves this appeal through the theme of the song being Independence Day. She makes allusions to Christianity and Christ’s death throughout the chorus of the song. In line 3.5, she alludes to stone rolling away from Jesus’ death after He died. When Christ died, the stone rolling away symbolized freedom from sin. In this song, the line means the same thing, because through the fire, all of them are free from the sin of domestic violence. The song also has a paradox when it says, “let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong” (line 3.4). These two seem to be contradictory, because under ordinary circumstances murder, especially of a spouse, would be considered very wrong. However, because what the mother has endured, murdering her abuser could be considered right, because she was freeing her child from enduring the same circumstances. In lines 2.5- 2.6, the author talks about how everyone in this small town looked away from what they saw. However, this town functions are a microcosm to what happens in the rest of the world. People all over the world see how damaging domestic violence is within their own communities, but they fail to do anything or say anything about it. The song uses vibrant imagery, allusions and other figurative language to show the damaging and explosive nature of domestic violence.

The form of this song gives greater meaning to the content by expanding the song’s universal appeal and patriotic message. If the author had immediately started with heavy figurative language, its emotional appeal would have been lessened because it would have overshadowed the story of the little girl. As the song progresses, the figurative language grows deeper and more significant, showing that domestic violence is not a simple issues. It is complicated and so much happens beneath the surface that many people fail to really see until it explodes in a way that cannot be undone.

The intended audience is mostly for those who listen to country music, because that was the style of the song that the author intended. Also, the lyrics are rustic in diction with the use of colloquial language. The secondary audience is anyone that listens to music and who can relate to the issue. Domestic violence has formed many discourse communities, because through their shared experience, women all around the world can relate to one another. Many groups such as the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (National, 2011). The purpose of these groups is to eliminate domestic violence within the home through the use of legislation and to empower and unite women against violence (2011). These discourse communities have a common goal of helping women reach their own independence, but through far less explosive means.

The song’s use of figurative language and appeals to the emotions and ethics of the audience gives greater exposure to an issue that was hidden and covered over for many years. This song has a message that has launched it to the top of music charts, but also will stay a classic song with a timeless message for many years. The song opened the eyes of countless listeners and helped those who deal with the issue personally cope with their pain.


Passage A
Line#

1.1 Well she seemed all right by dawn's early light
1.2 Though she looked a little worried and weak
1.3 She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again
1.4 But daddy left the proof on her cheek
1.5 I was only eight years old that summer
1.6 And I always seemed to be in the way
1.7 So I took myself down to the fair in town
1.8 On Independence Day
2.1 Well word gets a round in a small, small town
2.2 They said he was a dangerous man
2.3 Mama was proud and she stood her ground
2.4 But she knew she was on the losin' end
2.5 Some folks whispered and some folks talked
2.6 But everybody looked the other way
2.7 And when time ran out there was no one about
2.8 On Independence Day
3.1 Let Freedom ring, let the white dove sing
3.2 Let the whole world know that today is a
3.3 Day of reckoning
3.4 Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
3.5 Roll the stone away, Let the guilty pay, It's
3.6 Independence Day
4.1 Well she lit up the sky that fourth of July
4.2 By the time that the firemen come
4.3 They just put out the flames
4.4 and took down some names
4.5 send me to the county home
4.6 Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong
4.7 But maybe it's the only way
4.8 Talk about your revolution
4.9 It's Independence Day
3.1 Let Freedom ring, let the white dove sing
3.2 Let the whole world know that today is a
3.3 Day of reckoning
3.4 Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
3.5 Roll the stone away, Let the guilty pay, It's
3.6 Independence Day
5.1 Roll the stone away
5.2 It's Independence Day

References

History of domestic violence. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ssw/courses/1999-3/t6910/pl103-322bdw/dv_history.htm

Ortega, S. (n.d.). Gretchen peters (independence day). Retrieved from http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/gretchen_peters_independence_day_/

National coalition against domestic violence. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncadv.org/