- Heaven Watch the Philippines
"Heaven Watch the Philippines" is a popular song by
Irving Berlin , written in1946 .It was written as a tribute to Filipino resistance during the Japanese occupation in
World War II . During the war, Japanese troops in the Philippines attempted to popularize self-glorifying songs such as "Chichi Yo Anata Wa Tsuyokatta" ("Father, You Were Brave" in English). Locals resisted these efforts, preferring instead to sing "God Bless the Philippines" to the tune of Berlin's "God Bless America " as a show of national pride. [ [http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,797270,00.html Philippine Flop] , Time Magazine, publishedMarch 12 ,1945 , accessedMay 15 ,2006 .]Berlin himself gave the first performance of Heaven Watch the Philippines in
Tolosa, Leyte in 1946, in front of an audience that includedSergio Osmeña andCarlos P. Romulo . [ [http://elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/tolosa-leyte/index.php?cat1=32&cat2=4 Municipality of Tolosa: Brief Historical Sketch] , the official website of the Municipality of Tolosa, posted 2002, accessedMay 15 ,2006 .]In a 1987 interview with
Playboy ,Imelda Marcos falsely claimed that Berlin had written "Heaven Watch the Philippines" specifically for her. When asked about her claim, the 99-year-old Berlin denied it outright. [Ellison, Katherine. " [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0595349226&id=Dfl53AtDM0oC&pg=RA1-PA22&lpg=RA1-PA22&dq=%22Heaven+Watch+the+Philippines%22&sig=5PVJzuLhCGVV323rFhqsd7NBtYs Imelda: Steel Butterfly of the Philippines] ", p. 22.iUniverse , 2005. ISBN 0-595-34922-6 .]Lyrics
Heaven watch the Philippines, keep them safe from harm! Bless their sons and their precious ones, in the city and on the farm...Friendly to America, may they ever be ... But Heaven watch the Philippines and keep them forever free, keep them forever free!"
Heaven watch the Philippines, keep them safe from harm! Bless their sons and their precious ones, in the city and on the farm, Heaven watch the philippines from the peak of the mountain to the depp of the sea...Friendly to America, may they ever be ... But Heaven watch the Philippines and keep them forever free and let the sunset and sunrise from the great bay rise like the eagle in the sky , keep them forever free!"
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.