Burn
[Intro]
When I was a young girl
I always had this dream of a better life
I never could accept my fate
To be living on the mercy of the rich man, working his soil
So many stories about all those
Who crossed that river in the far, far north of the land
So many sleepless nights in desperation
[Verse 1]
I never was the kind to accept a life in slavery
Like my family's done for a hundred years or more
(We swam) We swam across the river and we
(We ran) We have to run for cover
And I lost my boyfriеnd out there
I heard hе was found in that river with a bullet-hole in his head
(He gave his life for my dream of America)
[Chorus 1]
It left a bitter taste to my joy
When I finally could wave the American flag
On the fourth of July, as I carried a child
Whose father never made it to America
[Verse 2]
They told me time would heal all wounds
And I managed to forgive, but not forget
But I knew that I would always keep
My bitter memories deep within myself
(No job) My skin's the wrong color and my
(My accent) Always gave me trouble
Got a handful of food stamps and a kick in the butt
We're all sentenced to a life in crime
[Chorus 2]
As we owe our lives to the Bank of America
Being forced to live and die in the ghetto
Make our kids want to burn the American flag
My illusions are gone
Generations of hatred, the American way
My American dream
It was not what it seemed
Survival of the fittest in America
[Bridge]
Beautiful fireworks, heavens exploding
With victory comes heroes in glory
A war has been won
Cities are burning, economy's failing
And so are the values
All proven so hollow, so wrong
The Statue of Liberty cracked by corrosion
She stumbles and falls
And she drowns in the ocean, she's gone
Out of sight, out of mind
Out of fashion, out of time
Thinking about the dreams that we used to have
Thinking about beliefs, and thinking about ideas
The blood in the street comes up to my ankles
The blood in the street comes up to my knees
[Chorus 3]
Everything is better in America
Everything is nicer in America
The blood in the street comes up to my eyes
I'm seeing red, and I swear
We're all gonna burn the American flag
Our illusions are gone
Generations of hatred, the American way
The American dream
It was not what it seemed
Survival of the fittest in America