July 4, 2016 — David Bruce Smith’s Grateful American™ Foundation is proud to release “Grateful American™ Kids Rock!” The music video stars students from The Steward School in Richmond, VA, who rap and dance to lyrics that honor America’s Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers.

“David Bruce Smith and I are incredibly excited to launch GratefulAmericanKids.com, and can’t think of a better way to do it than to have 30 students from The Steward School sing about the founders in a fun, educational manner,” says Hope Katz Gibbs, executive producer of the Grateful American™ Foundation, who penned the lyrics to “Grateful American™ Kids Rock!”

Smith and Gibbs are especially grateful to Bonnie Anderson and John McAlister, The Steward School’s music teachers who put the beat to the words and helped the students rock out on the lyrics. Thanks, too, to The Steward School’s Cary Jamieson, director of the Bryan Innovation Lab, and Rachel Williard, director of marketing and communications. And kudos to the marvelous moms at The Steward School who supplied all the costumes and helped dress the students.

Meet the cast:

• Kindergarteners: Ava, Gabe, Grady, and Ozzie
• First Graders: Dylan, Hanna, Jennifer, Kadan, Lucky, Nora, Scarlett, Tison, and Virginia
• Second Graders: Colby (as Thomas Jefferson), Jack, James, Kamran, Karina, and Nadine
• Third Graders: Anne, Jadyn, Jordyn, Kamillah, Lillie Grace (as Dolley Madison), Luke (as Alexander Hamilton), Luna, Marc (Ben Franklin), Nels, Sadie, Spencer (as George Washington),

Scroll down to read the lyrics to “Grateful American™ Kids Rock,” and sing along! 

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Grateful American™ Kids Rock: The Music Video

Lyrics by Hope Katz Gibbs

Music by Bonnie Anderson and John McAlister, teachers, The Steward School

Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
And here is why …

We are the kids who are grateful to
Hundreds of heroes who just knew
They had to fight for what was right
Freedom from the king … the Bill of Rights!

They risked their homes,
They risked their lives,
They didn’t know
If they would win or die.

But they had to try, they had to try
Freedom was the prize
Freedom was the prize!

Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
And here is why …

George Washington was a founding pop
He was brave and strong and refused to stop
‘Cross the Delaware he took his men
Through freezing months they lived in tents
Freedom was the prize
Freedom was the prize!
Yorktown was their final battle
Blood was spilled, but George was never rattled
Lives were lost, spirits tossed
He knew Revolution came at really high costs.

But they had to try, they had to try
Freedom was the prize
Freedom was the prize!

Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
And here is why …

Ben Franklin was a clever man
He gave us electricity and the “fireman”
In Philadelphia he made his mark
In London and in France he was an international spark!
Called the man on the moon, he never waned
His brilliant mind is revered today
For war, he knew came at a terrible cost
But he knew that liberty was worth the loss!

He knew they had to try, they had to try
Freedom was the prize
Freedom was the prize!

Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
And here is why …

Thomas Jefferson, a science geek
Many rewards did his experiments reap
For the Declaration he is renowned
In Paris, France, mac-n-cheese he found!
The Louisiana Purchase was a crowning jewel
And, owning slaves — that was a complicated rule.
But, none of this would have come to fruition
Had he not supported the “Revolution.”

He knew they had to try, they had to try
Freedom was the prize
Freedom was the prize!

Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
And here is why …

Dolley Madison, a founding mom
Had skills that went so far beyond.
She changed her role, it was no mystery
Became the first lady — and changed our history!

The very first, first lady — thank you Dolley
For seeing that America was more than just folly
You gave us heart, you made politics fun,
And you showed us that patriots weren’t just sons!

She knew we had to try, we had to try
Freedom was the prize
Freedom was the prize!

Alexander Hamilton, where would we be
If you had not figured out
What to do with our money!
The duel that you fought turned out to be your doom …
Why couldn’t you just have said Aaron Burr was such a loon?
Still we give you props, for standing up for your honor
You were a great role model, a humble Founding Father!

He knew we had to try, we had to try
Freedom was the prize
Freedom was the prize!

Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
And here is why …

There are dozens of heroes, if not hundreds
Who made America stand for somethin’
The Revolutionary War was just the beginning
What the founders fought for was much more than winning!
They dreamed of a nation for the brave and the free
People who’d forever strive for liberty!
The outcome we know turned out to be fateful
For generations to come we are ever so grateful!

Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Grateful American Kids … rock!
Now you know why!