Conversations In The Heartland

[Verse 1] I was sittin' in the nosebleeds, up there in the cheap red seats Down in Evansville, where the river bends and the rail lines meet Old songs ‘bout the factory line, young hearts singin’ every line Then he took a swing at the border boys, and you could feel that divide [Pre-Chorus] Some folks shifted in their chairs, crossed their arms, muttered prayers Not ‘cause they worship every badge they see It’s ‘cause we live with what gets done, far away in Washington And it all comes rollin’ back on towns like these [Chorus] From Mellencamp’s stage to Main Street From the bright lights down to the concrete We’re just tryin’ to tell the truth the best we can ‘Bout the jobs and the schools and the lines at the clinic The rent due on the first and the clock still tickin’ We need more than a slogan or a big-city plan We need an honest conversation in the heartland [Verse 2] Out here in Southern Indiana, we still wave at folks we pass We were raised on straight talk, and a Sunday sermon cuts like glass We don’t trust much in the government, left or right don’t pay our rent But every policy on a TV screen can break or make the month’s last cent [Pre-Chorus] Two million faces at a line, makes a number in a headline But they don’t stay in Texas on the evening news They catch a bus, they head up north, and every town along that course Feels the weight of choices they didn’t choose [Chorus] From Mellencamp’s stage to Main Street From the bright lights down to the concrete We’re just tryin’ to tell the truth the best we can ‘Bout the jobs and the schools and the lines at the clinic The rent due on the first and the clock still tickin’ We need more than a slogan or a big-city plan We need an honest conversation in the heartland [Bridge] Down at the plant, there’s a posted sign, three folks waitin’ for one shift time Foreman says, "We’ll see who shows next week" Teacher’s got thirty kids in chairs, six new names, six new prayers Tryin’ to give ‘em all the English that they seek Landlord’s sayin’ prices rise, hospital’s runnin’ overtime Church doors open, handshakes in the pews We’re not made of hate or stone, we just wanna guard our own And ask what happens next, and who decides the rules [Chorus] From Mellencamp’s stage to Main Street From the bright lights down to the concrete We’re just tryin’ to tell the truth the best we can ‘Bout the jobs and the schools and the lines at the clinic The rent due on the first and the clock still tickin’ We need more than a slogan or a big-city plan We need an honest conversation in the heartland [Outro] So play that old Authority Song We can sing along and still say you’re wrong ‘Cause out here we can argue and shake your hand From the river in Evansville to the courthouse square We just want leaders who will stand up and care Enough to hear every small-town woman and man In an honest conversation in the heartland