What is this land of America, so many travel there
I'm going now while I'm still young, my darling meet me there
Wish me luck my lovely, I'll send for you when I can
And we'll make our home in the American land
Over there all the woman wear silk and satin to their knees
And children dear, the sweets, I hear, are growing on the trees
Gold comes rushing out the river straight into your hands
If you make your home in the American land
There's diamonds in the sidewalks, there's gutters lined in song
Dear, I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spire
I wandered to the valley of red-hot steel and fire
We made the steel that built the cities with the sweat of our two hands
And I made my home in the American land
There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
The McNicholas, the Posalskis, the Smiths, Zerillis too
The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews
The Puerto Ricans, illegals, the Asians, Arabs miles from home
Come across the water with a fire down below
They died building the railroads, worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories, names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago, they're dying now
The hands that built the country were always trying to keep down
There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
Who will make his home in the American land
Who will make his home in the American land
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live? 2006
Well, the doctor comes round here with face all bright
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And he says, "In a little while you'll be all right"
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All he gives is a humbug pill
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A do-si-do and a great big bill
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Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?
Me and my old school pals had some mighty high times down here
And what happened to you poor black folks, well it just ain't fair
He took a look around, gave a little pep talk
Said, "I'm with you", then he took a little walk
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?
There's bodies floating on canals and the levee's gone to hell
Martha, get me my sixteen gauge and some dry shells
Them who's got, got out of town
And them who ain't, got left to drown
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?
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Got family scattered from Texas all the way to Baltimore
Yeah, and I ain't got no home in this world no more
Gonna be a judgement, that's a fact
A righteous train rolling down this track
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?
Through the winter's ice and cold, down Nicollet Avenue
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a city aflame fought fire and ice, 'neath an occupier's boots
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King Trump's private army from the DHS, guns belted to their coats
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came to Minneapolis to enforce the law, or so their story goes
Against smoke and rubber bullets, in the dawn's early light
citizens stood for justice, their voices ringing through the night
And there were bloody footprints where mercy should have stood
And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets, Alex Pretti and Renee Good
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Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice, singing through the bloody mist
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We'll take our stand for this land, and the stranger in our midst
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Here in our home they killed and roamed, in the winter of '26
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We'll remember the names of those who died, on the streets of Minneapolis
Trump's federal thugs beat up on his face and his chest
then we heard the gunshots, and Alex Pretti lay in the snow, dead
Their claim was "self defense, sir, just don't believe your eyes"
It's our blood and bones and these whistles and phones against Miller and Noem's dirty lies
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Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice, crying through the bloody mist
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We'll remember the names of those who died, on the streets of Minneapolis
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Now they say they're here to uphold the law, but they trample on our rights
If your skin is black or brown my friend, you can be questioned or deported on sight
In our chants of "ICE out now!", our city's heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears, on the streets of Minneapolis
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice, singing through the bloody mist
Here in our home they killed and roamed, In the winter of '26
We'll take our stand for this land, and the stranger in our midst
We'll remember the names of those who died, on the streets of Minneapolis
We'll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis
