I was born an American
Red, blue, and white
Encouraged to triumph
And eager to fight
I sang songs of freedom
Of grandeur and pride
I stood, hand on heart
Blonde-haired and blue-eyed

Since then, my hair’s darkened
And I opened my eyes
Now the red is for bloodstains
The blue for naïve skies
The white is for gun smoke
I now know the truth
Of hatred and violence
And fooling our youth

I don’t always sing now
My throat has gone raw
From shouting my questions
About what I saw
From the fall of the towers
To the war in Iraq
I’m losing my patience
And watching my back

Some people are certain
They know who to blame
They spit accusations
And curse other’s names
I’ve learned how to listen
To the music instead
Left over from grade school
Still stuck in my head

So ‘God Bless America’
Good luck with your lies
But I challenge you now
To go hear the cries
Hear the curses, the venom
Falling off of our tongues
Hear the protest and promise
That bursts from our lungs

We’ve tried to ignore it
Our pride’s built a wall
We’ve turned thick and arrogant
So sure we won’t fall
But now times are changing
We must clean up the mess
That began in 2000
It’s time to confess

I’m almost grown up now
No longer a child
I can speak for myself now
I can choose when to smile
And right now, I’m frowning
We’re divided, it’s true
Yet we continue to hide
Behind our red, white, and blue