Oh my love, it's a long way we've come
From the freckled hills to the steel and glass canyons,
From the stony field, to hanging steel from the sky,
From digging in our pockets for a reason not to say goodbye.
These are the hands that built America,
(Russian, Sioux, Dutch, Hindu)
America.
(Polish, Irish, German, Italian)
Last saw your face in a watercolor sky,
As sea birds argue, a long goodbye.
I took your kiss, on the spray of endless stars —
You gotta live with your dreams, don't make them so hard.
And these are the hands, that built America,
(The Irish, the Blacks, the Chinese, the Jews)
America.
(Korean, Hispanic, Muslim, Indian)
Of all of the promises, is this one we could keep
Of all of the dreams, is this one still out of reach.
It's early fall, there's a cloud on the New York skyline,
Innocence, dragged across a yellow line.
These are the hands that built America [2x]