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Song "America; let me tell you how I feel" and Japanese Scouts?


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I am asking this here, as am not sure how many look at History forum.  Years ago, not too long after the world jambo in 1971 I heard this story about this song being sung by Japanese scouts as the Americans were leaving.  Can anyone verify this is true, or was it just a feel good story of the time?  A Google search has not turned up anything.

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  • 8 years later...

Hey I found this post while researching the same story and there is nothing online!

I heard it was shortly after the end of World War Two but Japanese scouts were not reinstated until 1950 and missed the jamboree of peace in 1947.

The story is important to me because of the lesson of patriotism and solidarity, so I’m hoping it’s true.

Since posting this, have you @skeptic     learned anything new or do you care to corroborate?

Edited by RememberSchiff
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2 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

@ScoutBenny welcome to scouter.com

No, I have had no response until you right now.  I too discovered nothing online.  The story was told to me I believe when the song was sung at a closing campfire at an event in the seventies I think, in the old Great Western Council.  The words I recall were varied, though that could be my old mind.  "America, America.  How can we/I tell you how we/I feel?  You have brought us so many treasures.  We love you so.  A second stanza, or just version, replaces treasures with pleasures.  Simple and very meaningful, especially if it was sung on the tarmac as American scouts left a Japanese gathering of some sort.  I do know that the BSA was involved in reestablishing Scouting in Japan, so it might relate to that, rather than a Jambo.  Or it might simply be "lore".  

 

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Sounds like a modified version of a Christian song with these lyrics:

 

Lyrics

First version

Jesus, Jesus,
Can I tell you how I feel?
You have given me Your spirit.
I love You so.

 

Second version

Jesus, Jesus, 
Can I tell you what I know?
You have given me Your spirit.
I love You so.

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