June 2, 2018 ~ One of my favorite videos – of the best piece of music ever performed by Elvis Presley. I was going through  a page on Facebook about an hour ago, and the discussion of Presley came up. I had to post the following, and then reading through the viewer comments, what follows the video was well worth the read. I await the end of my Trials. Enjoy. ~ Ed.

As a son of The South, Elvis Presley well knew that “Dixie” is more than a lovely song; it was an anthem of The South and of the Confederate side of The Civil War. Likewise he well knew that The Battle Hymn of the Republic was an anthem of The Union, those who were ready to “die to make men free,” an anthem despised by Southerners (then and now). It was no accident that Elvis created this trilogy, and his meaning is clear. “All our trials will soon be over” when the triumph of the truth is acknowledged and the victory of righteousness is accepted. Elvis was the embodiment of the cultural blending of white and black American culture, a blending that is an important part of America’s greatness. In “The Trilogy” he makes his feelings clear: He loves The South, he is of The South, and he also sees that the victory of true equality for all Americans is The Truth that shall keep marching on in glory. So Elvis was delivering a strong message of reconciliation and racial equality by making the triumphant climax of the song, not Dixie, but The Battle Hymn of The Republic. ~ Rebob Bob