I often get my “America feeling” — whenever I vote, or serve on a jury (twice), when I see the Statue of Liberty, when I watch Schoolhouse Rock (yes, I’m dating myself with my love of Schoolhouse Rock). The America feeling is a happy, intense, transcendent feeling.

I remember that I felt it very vividly one day when the song “The Farmer and the Cowman” from my daughter Eliza started playing music from her playlist, which included, of all things, the song “The Farmer and the Cowman” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1943 musical Oklahoma!

Yes, the song is dated, and it trades in cliches. Nevertheless, I love it, and the America feeling hits me hard, especially at the end.

Andrew Carnes:
The farmer and the cowman should be friends,
Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends.
One man likes to push a plough, the other likes to chase a cow,
But that’s no reason why they cain’t be friends.

All:
Territory folks should stick together,
Territory folks should all be pals.
Cowboys dance with farmer’s daughters,
Farmers dance with the ranchers’ gals.

Aunt Eller:
I’d like to teach you all a little sayin’
And learn the words by heart the way you should
I don’t say I’m no better than anybody else,
But I’ll be danged if I ain’t jist as good!

If you’d like to watch the clip from the movie, here’s the whole song.