President Kennedy on Poetry and Power

Have you ever read President John F. Kennedy’s remarks at Amherst College from October 26, 1963? If not, I’m delighted to be the person who shares them with you! If yes, you know where I’m going. . .

In his speech President Kennedy explores the role of an artist in society, specifically highlighting the poet Robert Frost. The President begins by saying that “Our national strength matters, but the spirit which informs and controls our strength matters just as much.” It is this spirit space—the soul-level—that Frost guides America into and through.

From his seat of power, Kennedy tells us: “When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.”

Prior to its release, I submitted “Soul of the Nation” to a variety of music media outlets, offering them the opportunity to feature the song. Everyone passed. Most said the song was too long or not melodically dynamic enough. My co-writer Jenn Bostic and I didn’t take any lyrical shortcuts in the song. Because civic character isn’t easy, it requires us to be “humble and bold” with our words. Also, the melody was crafted to be singable by anyone. So we kept it simple and repetitive. 

To double down on this poetic power of “Soul of the Nation,” I invited a spoken word artist to weave one of his pieces into the song for a special Tiny Desk Contest submission. Sitting in the sunrise light of West Salem Public House, Spencer Aubrey brought his spirit and piece “My Music” into my song, and in doing so, made it deeper, wiser, and longer. Ha!

On this Sunday, I hope you take a few minutes to read the rest of President Kennedy's speech and enjoy this new expression of "Soul of the Nation."