Album: The Way That I Am (1994)

Charted: 12

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• Well, she seemed all right by dawn's early light
  Though she looked a little worried and weak
  She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again
  But daddy left the proof on her cheek
  And I was only eight years old that summer
  And I always seemed to be in the way
  So I took myself down to the fair in town
  On Independence Day
  
  Well, word gets around in a small, small town
  They said he was a dangerous man
  But mama was proud and she stood her ground
  She knew she was on the losin' end
  Some folks whispered, some folks talked
  But everybody looked the other way
  And when time ran out there was no one about
  On Independence Day
  
  Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
  Let the whole world know that today
  Is a day of reckoning
  Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
  Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
  It's Independence Day
  
  Well, she lit up the sky that fourth of July
  By the time that the firemen come
  They just put out the flames
  And took down some names
  And send me to the county home
  Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong
  But maybe it's the only way
  Talk about your revolution
  It's Independence Day
  
  Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
  Let the whole world know that today
  Is a day of reckoning
  Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
  Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
  It's Independence Day
  
  Roll the stone away
  It's Independence Day Writer/s: Gretchen Peters
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 21

• Former Mcbride Fan from UsaMartina McBride sings, "Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong / But maybe it's the only way". Really? Sounds like a LIE to me. The song sounds like a rousing anthem in the name of killing the husband and possibly even committing suicide (although Martina McBride has claimed that the woman doesn't die in the fire), presumably so that the 8-year-old child can live a better life than if weighed down by the situation (abuse and lack of cohesion and love in the family), although there is no indication in the lyrics that the husband may have intentionally abused the daughter. "Even though *she* was on the losin' end" is indicating that the woman was abused by the "dangerous man", but there's no indication that there was direct abuse of the daughter. So, once again: "I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong..." Really? OK, then, why the rousing celebration, if the words "I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong" were genuine words? Why the bells that sound like church bells? Why the attempt at powerful, rousing vocals? And then, let's consider: Martina McBride has said that she's received letters from women abused by their men in their lives. Has the song actually helped them? Really? How so? I don't know how it has helped any women. And why has the song's writer (Gretchen Peters) donated to an organization (Planned Parenthood) that kills innocent babies? If the songwriter (Peters) is to be so admonished, why has she contributed to a group that has killed hundreds of thousands of babies in abortions? That makes Gretchen Peters someone who is Pro-Abortion. And not Pro-Life.
• Former Mcbride Fan from California, UsaRegarding the song "Independence Day" by Martina McBride. Gretchen Peters wrote the song and has performed it on acoustic guitar. A Songfacts user here posted a purported quote by Gretchen Peters, who was born in New York and who wrote the song. The quote purportedly has Peters saying that she got some sort of gratification of having been paid by Hannity's radio show whenever the song was played, purportedly because it helped her with one or more of her causes. Now, we get to the nitty gritty. One of the causes of Gretchen Peters has fought for, is Pro-Abortion rights. Gretchen Peters is a staunch Pro-Abortion advocate. The Zygote is innocent. Why are adults punishing the innocent? One important fact about aborting a baby when the act of coitus by the mother and the father was consensual, and that the mother and father were previously unrelated, is this: the Zygote has all four (4) criteria necessary to establish itself as a human creature. A human creature. That's what a Zygote is, according to science. The Zygote contains 100% of the DNA need to qualify itself as a human being. Gretchen Peters either thinks she knows science, or doesn't care. And so every time the song "Independence Day" by Martina McBride is played on the air on radio, it's very likely that Gretchen Peters still gets money for it. And then, it's very likely that she takes that money and gives it to groups who have killed innocent Zygotes.
• Former Mcbride Fan from California, UsaThe elephant in the room with the song "Independence Day" is that the woman takes a torch, and burns down the house with the husband inside, making sure that his body is torched and incinerated and obliterated to smithereens. That's what this song is about. It's a celebration of an incineration of a human being's body. The woman took the law into her own hands. And there you have it. She torched his body, and maybe she watched his flesh be obliterated to smithereens. There is no indication in the song that, in the act of killing the husband, the woman was, at that time, acting in self-defense. Therefore, I would argue that the song is about manslaughter, at the very least.
• Todd Songwriter from CaliforniaTo Max in regards to what the song is about: What you're saying is not the elephant in the room. The elephant in the room is whether this song arguably is an anthem for, at the least, manslaughter. And y'all are celebrating the manslaughter? The song claims, "I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong". That's a lie! Liar Liar Pants on Fire! You are celebrating the manslaughter! What a crock of bull. 99% of Martina Fans out there realize that this song is arguably advocating charges for intentional killing of another person. Why didn't she take her daughter? Why didn't they run away? But no. The singer is proud. This song begs the question.
• Todd Songwriter from CaliforniaI don't know where Martina McBride and Gretchen Peters have actually answered the tough questions. Let's assume, for the moment, whether this song arguably advocates for, at the least, manslaughter. If you intentionally burned down a house with me inside, I might die in the fire. And seriously? You're my daughter, and you're celebrating the manslaughter? Seriously?
• Camille from Toronto, Oh"Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay." The abuser pays for his sins and also the abused wife pays for her radical actions with her life. Maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong. "Maybe it's the only way." Martina spectacularly captures the emotion when her voice cracks the last time she cries, "Let the wind Be-EE strong!" Strong winds fan the flames. Let everything crash and burn; you see the fury. Let the winds of change be strong, too; let's work towards better support for domestic violence victims.
• Camille from Toronto, OhIn 1994 when Independence Day was released, domestic violence was big in the news because of OJ Simpson. It was the year he was charged with murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman who were killed in June 12, 1994. As the story unfolded, the public was made aware of Simpson’s extensive history of domestic violence towards Nicole.
• Camille from Toronto, OhIndependence Day—
  CMA Video of the Year, 1994
  CMA Song of the Year 1995 for songwriter Gretchen Peters.
  In 2003, it ranked 50th in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music.
  In 2004, this ranked #2 in CMT's 100 Greatest Videos in Country Music.
  In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #77 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs.
• Howard from Los Angeles, CaI would like to say that, first, this is a truly beautiful, evocative song. Kudos to Gretchen Peters. And,
  like her, I too despise Sean Hannity. He is a true male bimbo and does nothing but create divisiveness
  among Americans. But I disagree that this song is not about patriotism. It is a tragic twist of a classic
  American phrase ... Independence Day ... whose power to evoke emotion would not even exist if we
  had not fought a bloody war to gain a measure of independence. Of course, that revolution has long
  since been sold out and women, who are victimized by their males, pay the price of the sell-out.
  "Indepence Day" and "Born in the USA" are both phrases fraught with latent patriotic emotions
  and both are tragic commentaries on modern America. The real gist of songs like these have more
  to do with the fact that Americans have lost control of their destiny .. than with the victims they
  portray. Wake up, people. It's getting late.
• Don from Fairbanks, AlbaniaIndependence Day is a song about becoming independent about anything. It can be 4th of July, abuse, a bad habit you quit, a sin you repented from.Anything that you broke free from.
  It no longer controls your life, You now have Independence Day.
• Karen from Manchester, NhMax, have you never thought that maybe the crowd went nuts over the song because they KNOW and LIKE the song? If you're going to have such a low opinion of your audience, maybe you shouldn't be a performer. Also, if you look at JUST the chorus apart from the verses, the words ARE very patriotic. It's call "irony".
• Ra from Asheville, NcIt is pretty hilarious how often this gets mistaken for a generic patriotic song...
• Roy from Virginia, Va Martina McBride's signature song,she has the listener captivated throughout.
• Roy from Virginia, VaThe best song ever about spousal abuse,Martina McBride, being very conscious of the world around her has covered a myriad of subjects in her songs and has done it well.
• Rick from Kansa City, Ks The musician who called his listeners ignorant stupes is an a hole musician. That's no way to refer to your audience.
• Pete Hines from Tulsa, OkEugene Darrell you are an idiot, no one cares about your studebaker-- Great song, probably one of the strongest vocal performances ever. The clarity of her voice is unequaled, and the power is magnifcaint, I wish there were more performances by Martina McBride that allowed for her to belt it out like she does this song.
• Steve from Hermitage, TnNashville singer/songwriter Helen Lewis Moore did a parody of this song called "Codependence Day" on her 2006 solo album "Harold". It's told from the point of view of a woman who keeps compromising for the sake of her no-good boyfriend.
• Cindi from Seattle, WaThe first time I heard Martina McBride sing "Independence Day" was on Sean Hannity's radio show. It prompted me to search out the lyrics. I was not surprised when I read them. I think everyone has their own personal story of Independence. If you're a contemplative person, on the 4th of July you are not only celebrating our nation's independence, but all the freedoms afforded to yourself personally through that. So I think it's appropriate to celebrate the song "Independence Day" on the 4th of July to remind yourself that you don't have to be a prisoner to anyone or anything--you are free! (In my mind, in the video the mom is seen in the background as the smoke clears and she and the daughter go off to have a peaceful life together.)
• Max from Philipsburg, PaThere is a cruel ignorance in the public music listener. I bet 99% of the people who listen to Sean Hannity's radio show have no idea that Independence Day isn't a patriotic song. I bet a large portion of McBride's fans don't pay any attention to what the song is about. As a musician in a band, I can tell you I am amazed at how ignorant and unobservant listeners are. Most of them say, "Oh, I never listen to the words anyway."
  
  As a bit of anecdotal evidence, my band played a July 4th Festival, and we did Independence Day. I said, "They'll never notice, ignorant stupes. They'll love it just because it says "Independence Day" in the words."
  
  Guess what, I was dang right. It went over big. Nobody has any idea what the song is about.
  Pathetic, really.
  
• Camille from Toronto, OhAn all-time classic. The video shot in black and white, well, that clinced the deal, giving that timeless appeal and a dramatic effect. McBride's voice mixed with Gretchen Peter's lyrics are P U R E perfection. No bout a dout it.
• Darrell from EugeneI don't know how much it was, but the damn bicycle from the video's burn scene fetched a five-figure price at auction several years ago. All that money for a 1970-something little girl's bicycle? My God! I recently found a 1932 Studebaker sedan that was very similar to my first car except for having the original drivetrain rather than a Rambler (AMC) V-8 and push-button shift in a Hemmings magazine ad for that much, and a '32 Studebaker is a sound investment.

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