America, I Sing That You May Rise

America, I sing that you may rise
A newborn country, where the people reign,
And may your spirit soar above the lies
Of those who exploit the others’ pain.

America, I see another you,
That’s rising from the ashes and debris—
You’re not a land of plenty for the few—
You’re the spirit of democracy.

And when I look around and see hate
Inside the blind men’s eyes who cannot see—
America, I say it’s not too late—
America—the hope of the free.

We have a choice, we always had a choice
To love each other or to live for greed—
America, I hear your new voice
In this dark hour, when your people bleed.

And all the jingoists with their battle cries
Will use your name to wage their endless war,
America, this time they cannot lie—
America, this time you are much more!


    September 22, 2001
  --Alexander Shaumyan

Sweet Land
by: Heavy Pulp

Sweet land, sweet land of the weary and wild.
Oh where, oh where are you, my sweet?

The garden's either dying or about to come alive.
The river's either drying or it's deep enough to dive.
Can't tell if it's the dusk or if it's breaking into dawn.
Are we going on or are we going, going, gone? 

Somebody said a storm is coming, but it's been a long, long time.
I don't know what's up ahead, but please baby, don't you look behind.
So tell me, is it going to be free energy forever, or just the same...damn...old...grind?

Singing, (sweet land) sweet land of the weary and the wild.
Are we one year from the grave, or is this just the beginning, my sweet child?
Oh, you're my star-spangled dream machine, half a savior, half a liar.
250 Summers and we're going higher, higher, higher.

Singing, (sweet land, sweet land) going, going, gone?

The neighbors might be coming with a casserole or a gun.
The kids are either screaming or they're laughing in the sun.
Is the timeline coming undone, or is it coming in clear?
The fireworks are blinding, but I'll keep on dancing here.

And nobody can promise me that we're going to make it to the light.
So is it an awakening, or is this a knife in the night?
So come on brother, sister, stand up tall, because guess what?
Where we go one, we go all!

If you can hear this
from the other side,
across this great quantum divide,
don't get me wrong,
now is the time to stay strong.
So with all of that I'll say,
God bless the USA.
God bless the USA.

Singing, sweet land, going on, soaring on.
250 years and it's going on, on and on.
On the edge of a forever or the edge of being gone.
Is it midnight? Is it morning? Is it ruin?
Is it time to rise?

250 summers gone by,
so just go on and tell me those sweet lies.
The kind as sweet as these Julys.

(Sweet land, sweet land) Going on and going on,
(sweet land, sweet land) I got to fight like FIRE.
(Fire) Fire.

(Sweet land, sweet land) going on, going on.
(Sweet land, sweet land) going, going, gone.

So please, just know that we can still rebuild.
We can still make something... Better.