A country singer sings an adaptation of "The East Bank of the Jordan" by Ze'ev Jabotinsky. The lyrics are militant, but the music is sweet and the view is scenic. An ironic gesture to New Nationalism.  

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The video deals with the complexity of the Jordan River as a cultural symbol, through a mash-up of three different songs written about this river, from three very different points of view. The songs are Johnny Cash & June Carter's Far Side Banks Of Jordan, “Jordan River" (gospel) and The East Bank of the Jordan -by Ze'ev Zabutinski.

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While the two first songs’ messages are universal and peaceful, the last one is controversial and combative. It celebrates the idea of a Jewish state existing on both sides of the Jordan River, supposedly instead of the state of Jordan.
 

The song The East of the Jordan reflects the idea of the Jewish state existing on both sides of the Jordan River. In the song, Jabotinsky compares the Jordan River to a spinal cord. The lyrics present the Jordan River as located in the midst of the Land of Israel. The last stanza ends up with a religious oath that is a paraphrase of the biblical verse of Psalms: 137:5 – "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning": "Let my right hand wither If I forget the east bank of the Jordan."

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Instead of shooting a video in Israel, using the Jordan river landscape, the video was shot in Nebraska and Iowa, using footage of the Missouri River and its environment, creating another complication of environments and nationalities.

 

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