I noticed on the TV menu the other night where Elvis Presley’s “Aloha from Hawaii” was on. I watch it every time it’s shown, having seen it the first time in 1973 when it was a worldwide satellite feed. It was big stuff then and still a great experience for those my age who grew up during the First Rock and Roll Revolution spearheaded by Elvis.

The high point of the concert was and is the “American Trilogy.” That’s the three songs Elvis sang as a medley, all three of them from the 19th century: “Dixie,” “All My Trials” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Watching Elvis as he was in 1973 — youthful, energetic, good looking, voice strong and soaring — always reminds me that a mere four years later he would be dead. The Elvis of 1973 was, in many respects, a lot different from the one who died on the bathroom floor in 1977.

Seeing “Aloha from Hawaii” again got me to thinking about the “American Trilogy” and how it might have changed in the 41 years since Elvis’s landmark live concert from Hawaii.

“Dixie”: Historically, “Dixie” went from being a blackface minstrel song about a freed slave wanting to come back home to being the anthem of the Confederacy, a strange turn of events if you think about it. Today, “Dixie” may not be heard coming from the throats of men in grey marching to war but it’s still the bedrock for a new attempt at secession. Seriously, a few years ago I thought anybody who’d advocate secession AGAIN was delusional and should be fitted for a strait jacket. As it’s turned out, I’m the crazy one! There are people and parties and puppeteers in position right now to take us straight back to the 19th century. The South not only will rise again; it has! (Since I was so naive on the subject of secession, I feel I must be more circumspect. That leads me to point out that Thomas Jefferson envisioned this country being what many want the country to become, namely, a series of republics working together.)

“All My Trials”: For those who don’t want to relive history and be slingshot back to the 19th century or beyond, this Bahamian lullaby is your song. It’s a mother on her death bed comforting her children. “All my trials, Lord, soon will be over.” This song could comfort many: the lower 70 percent of us on the income scale who have no policy influence whatsoever; the American middle class; Planet Earth; those who believe in government of the people, by the people and for the people; any country with oil fields and assets that we invade. In other words, “All My Trials” says they can take everything but they can’t take the peace of death away from us ... until the Koch Brothers or Wall Street lawyers or bankers figure out how to ruin the Great Beyond. You’ll know when it happens because Papa John Schnatter will open a pizzeria over there.

“Battle Hymn of the Republic”: If “Dixie” was the Confederates’ song, the Union had Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Young-looking Elvis in Hawaii reached down into the depths of his soul to declare that God’s “truth is marching on.” Well, in one respect it is, but in this Age of Misinformation and Public Relations, who knows what that truth is any more? We’ve had Jerry Falwell’s “truth,” Pat Robertson’s “truth,” George W. Bush’s “truth,” and now we have Barack Obama’s “truth.” All of them, to one degree or another, claim their “truth” to spring from God’s truth. Go figure.

It took Elvis a mere four years to undergo a radical decline. Based on the “American Trilogy,” I’d say it’s taken America 41 years to get bloated and pasty-looking, but it’s happened nevertheless.

Bob Morgan is a retired, award-winning journalist and an author.