By Vincent DeNiro | Editor-In-Chief | Prepper & Shooter Magazine (www.PrepperAndShooter.com)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I84S9cR2TE
With the song title of Don’t Let’em Take Your Gun and lyrics like: “So, if you want your freedom son, don’t want your country to be overrun, you got to keep America number one, my daddy told me son, don’t let ’em take your gun,” “They’re takin’ your Bill of Rights away from you,” “We’re willing to die for freedom,” and “Won’t be nobody takin’ over our land if everybody’s brother’s got a gun in his hand,” this really should be the anthem of all pro-Second Amendment organizations across the United States.
Performed by the band Grand Funk Railroad and produced by Frank Zappa, this song appeared on the Good Singin’, Good Playin’ album in the Bi-Centennial year of 1976. I remember that year very well – red, white and blue were everywhere, and there were a ton of TV shows, commercials, consumer products, books, coins, stamps, etc. with “The Spirit of 1776” themes. The song is sung by Mark Farner, the lead singer of Grand Funk Railroad (GFR). I once asked Ted Nugent about the song and about GFR promoting a pro-gun ownership song and in typical Nugent speak, he said something to the effect that Mark Farner grew up in the same political patriotic “ballyhoo” as he did. It sounds like Farner was/is patriotic about this subject, otherwise how could he sing such a pro-Second Amendment song? I saw Grand Funk Railroad in 1996, and even though my friends and I were screaming for them to play this pro-gun song, they never did. GFR put on a great show anyway. I saw Ted in concert too, and he got me in so close to the stage that my heart was palpitating due to the sound waves from the massive speakers, but that’s another story (Ted puts on an AWESOME concert by the way.)
As stated above, Frank Zappa produced this album (for those of you under 40, look him up.) So what was his stance on the Second Amendment? After doing some research, I’m still not sure, but apparently there is an interview out there where Mark Farner was asked about the song and he stated that Zappa had a great time shooting bottles with a handgun around the time that the song came out. I found a photo of Zappa standing next to what appears to be a Lewis machine-gun, but I’m not sure what that photo was taken for. Also, Zappa was very vocal about the loss of individual rights and freedoms. However, his children, Dweezil and Moon Zappa, have been outspoken anti-gun activists.
Be sure to listen to the song (link below), and if you cherish the Second Amendment, you just can’t help but get goose bumps! It’s a real shame that with over 90 million gun owners out there, and with the millions of songs produced, that there is only this “modern day” song to get us fired up about one of our rights. There may be a few more songs out there, but this one has to be the best. “Won’t be nobody takin’ over our land if everybody’s brother’s got a gun in his hand.” Better let Putin know in case he’s starting to think that Russia got a raw deal when they sold Alaska to us! “You got to understand. We are American men!”
See all lyrics below and pass it around!
Don’t Let ’em Take Your Gun – Grand Funk Railroad
Ohhh, people why don’t you come in here and let me talk to you a while.
That’s right, step right up and listen to a concerned citizen speak his piece.
I’ll tell you a little something that my daddy told to me,
My basic fundamentals if you want to be free.
Cause son, there’s something wrong internally.
So, if you want your freedom son,
Don’t want your country to be overrun,
You got to keep America number-one.
(chorus)
My daddy told me son, don’t let ’em take your gun!
That’s what they tryin’ to do.
Son, don’t let ’em take your gun.
They’re takin’ your Bill of Rights away from you.
My daddy said son, don’t let ’em take your gun!
That’s what they tryin’ to do.
Son, don’t let ’em take your gun.
Don’t let ’em take your gun away from you.
Ohhh, this year is our anniversary.
Two hundred years, people we’ve been free.
Won’t be nobody takin’ over our land,
If everybody’s brother’s got a gun in his hand.
I’m tellin’ you we learned to fight for justice.
We’re willing to die for freedom.
Hand in hand.
You got to understand.
We are American men.
Said they want your gun.
Said they want your gun.
Send ’em on the run.
Send ’em on the run.
Hip-hurray for fun.
Hip-hurray for fun.
If they do were done.
If they do were done.
(chorus)
Permission to reprint this article in total including photo with credit is hereby granted with credit and link to Prepper & Shooter Magazine.