(Verse 1) This land was a promise, stitched in gold and green A fragile new hope in a world that was mean We packed up our courage, our histories, our names Chasing a future fanning freedom's faint flames But now the smile I wear feels like a disguise A armor I put on to shield my children's eyes From the whispers that follow, the cold, hardening stare The silent, sharp question: "Do you belong there?" My skin is a banner I never chose to fly A target for anger I can't quantify... (Chorus) And these scars and stripes don't feel the same This American dream is going up in flames We're shouting for justice, they're shouting for war Slammin' the door on the "huddled masses" shore From sea to shining sea, a toxic, rising tide And we're just trying to survive on the other side. (Verse 2) Now a man on a platform, with a sneer and a lie Sells a cheap, tarnished version of a stormy sky He points at our faces, he fans all the fears And the crowd roars his name, and it chills us to tears He talks of "vermin," and "poison of the blood" Stirring the ashes where the old hatreds stood He's playing with matches in a room full of pain Promising conflict in the sun and the rain A dollar-store dictator, in a cheap suit and tie Selling a future where our freedoms must die. (Chorus) 'Cause these scars and stripes don't feel the same This American dream is going up in flames We're shouting for justice, they're shouting for war Slammin' the door on the "huddled masses" shore From sea to shining sea, a toxic, rising tide And we're just trying to survive on the other side. (Bridge) He wants war with his own, a battle in the street Where the only thing sacred is a bitter defeat He talks of "Bedlam" if he doesn't get his way Turning our neighbors to foes in the light of day This isn't a game, these are our lives, our homes The sound of the siren, the crackle of phones The terror my mother feels walking to the store Is this what our fathers and forefathers fought for? (Final Chorus) And these SCARS and STRIPES, we'll MAKE them the same! We'll snatch this dream back from the greedy, cruel flame! We are the doctors, the dreamers, the hands that sow We are the heart of this country, and you have to know! From sea to shining sea, we will not run and hide! We built this home, and we're standing with pride! (Outro) This land is a promise... It's broken and scarred... But it's *our* promise... And we're standing on guard... For the weary... the poor... We are knocking... We are knocking... We are here.
