I grew up with reverence for the red, white, and blue Spoke of God and liberty, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance Learned love of country from my own family Some shivered and prayed, approaching the beaches of Normandy The flag waves high and that's how it should be So many lives given and taken in the name of freedom But the story's complicated and hard to read Pages of the book obscured or torn out completely I am a son of Uncle Sam And I struggle to understand the good and evil But I'm doing the best I can In a place built on stolen land with stolen people Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco A misnamed people and a kidnapped race Laws may change but we can't erase the scars of a nation Of children devalued and disavowed Displaced by greed and the arrogance of Manifest Destiny Short-sighted to say it was a long time ago Not even two lifetimes have passed since the days of Lincoln The sins of Andrew Jackson, the shame of Jim Crow And time moves slow when the tragedies are beyond description I am a son of Uncle Sam And I struggle to understand the good and evil But I'm doing the best I can In a place built on stolen land with stolen people We are more than the sum of our parts All these broken homes and broken hearts God will you keep us wherever we go? Will you forgive us for where we've been? We Americans Blood on the table with the coffee and the sugar Blood on the table with the coffee and the sugar Blood on the table with the coffee and the sugar I've been to every state, and seen shore to shore The still open wounds of the Civil War Watched blind hatred bounce back and forth Seen vile prejudice both in the south and the north And accountability is hard to impose On ghosts of ancestors haunting the halls of our conscience But the path of grace and goodwill is still here For those of us who may be considered among the living I am a son of God and man And I may never understand the good and evil But I dearly love this land Because of, and in spite of, we the people We are more than the sum of our parts All these broken bones and broken hearts God will you keep us wherever we go? Can you forgive us for where we've been? We Americans We Americans Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory

I don't write 'cause I don't think I don't have a need to speak I don't see the bright side, quite as clear Accolades and happy days They don't ever last Stories of courage clouded up with fear In the broom grass, I would l lie Glimmer in my eye, the sun smiled back on me From victory, I tried To match eternal light with how I live my life Of course, I was forced to retreat From victory,I accept defeat Waxy green and yellow walls Outside my windows fall Covering the light I thought I'd see Am I sad or am I sick? What's at the root of it? Do I throw my hands and quit? Something tells me, no In the broom grass, I would l lie Glimmer in my eye, the sun smiled back on me From victory, I tried To match eternal light with how I live my life Of course, I was forced to retreat From victory, I accept defeat Worries on all sides of my mind In silence, my darkness is denied In the broom grass, I would l lie Glimmer in my eye, the sun smiled back on me From victory, I tried To match eternal light with how I live my life Of course, I was forced to retreat And from victory, I accept defeat From victory I accept defeat

If I get murdered in the city Don't go revenging in my name One person dead from such is plenty No need to go get locked away When I leave your arms The things that I think of No need to get over alarmed I'm coming home I wonder which brother is better Which one our parents love the most I sure did get in lots of trouble They seemed to let the other go A tear fell from my father's eyes I wondered what my dad would say He said, "I love you and I'm proud of you both In so many different ways" If I get murdered in the city Go read the letter in my desk Don't bother with all my belongings But pay attention to the list Make sure my sister knows I loved her Make sure my mother knows the same Always remember there was nothing worth sharing Like the love that let us share our name Always remember there was nothing worth sharing Like the love that let us share our name

Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place I lied to the doctor I lied to my lover I wanna make amends But where do I start? Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place Tell the truth to yourself Tell the truth I can make my mother, my father, my sister, my brother My lover, my neighbor, my friends, all happy Give of myself whatever they ask But without this single truth, it is only emptiness that I cast A happiness that will not last But I'm not here for that For what does happiness help Without this simple truth given to thyself? I was the coward I did strangle your heart I wanna make amends But where do I start? Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place Tell the truth to yourself And the rest will fall in place

This land is your land, this land is my land From California, to the New York Island From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me As I was walking that ribbon of highway I saw above me that endless skyway I saw below me that golden valley This land was made for you and me This land is your land, this land is my land From California, to the New York Island From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me I've roamed and rambled, and I've followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts And all around me a voice was sounding This land was made for you and me This land is your land, this land is my land From California, to the New York Island From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me The sign was painted, said 'Private Property' But on the backside, it didn't say nothing This land was made for you and me This land is your land, this land is my land From California, to the New York Island From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me This land was made for you and me

I know you were needing more of me than I gave When we heard that your cousin had crashed and passed away I hate it when I talk without thinking I will do what you are needing me to do I wanna be good to you I wanna be there for you And when I come home, will you still want me to? When your best friend got married I was off and gone You said it wasn't a problem, that there was nothing wrong With putting my work, my art, and my songs Before spending time at the wedding As I listened over the phone-line, you talked and you sounded so sad Alone in a room full of strangers, some dude saying I treat you bad Who is this guy and what does he know? Apparently more than I do I wanna be good to you I wanna be there for you And when I come home, will you still want me to? And when I come home, will you still want me to? When you were born I promised myself I'd always be there for you To help you feel safe and never alone, no matter what life put you through Time passed by, I lost my way, and didn't find it for years A strong young woman now stands in her place The child has disappeared Now that I'm home, do you still want me here? I wanna be good to you I wanna be there for you I wanna be good to you And when I come home, will you still want me to? And if I come home, will you still want me to?