O’ America, the land of opposites
I have a question
Which side are you on?

The land of Lincoln
Or the land of Lee
To shackle slaves
Or set them free

O’ America, I have a question
Which side are you on?

The land of Wilson
Or the land of Nixon
To respect the law of nations
Or to scoff at it with indignation

O’ America, I have a question
Which side are you on?

The legacy of Jim Crow
Or the dream of King
To institutionalize racism
Or let freedom ring

O’ America, I have other questions too
What are you?

The promise of the bill of rights
Or home to the Patriot Act
Are freedoms being protected
Or trampled upon in fact

Are you for the right of due process
Or the wrongs of secret evidence
Is one’s dignity respected
Or has it been crushed in essence

Are you the beacon of democracy
Or a police state shrouded in darkness
Where dissent is ever welcome
Or ridiculed as hate by the heartless

Are you for civil liberties
Or uncivil discourse
Where people are not intimidated
With the use of force

Are you the land of benevolence
Or the land of greed
To ever love thy neighbor
Not exploit her need

Are you the land of opportunity
Or of utter poverty
Where the rich live in castles
And the homeless endure the hassles

Are you to liberate Normandy
Or to occupy Iraq
To respect people’s sovereignty
Or preemptively attack

Are you for self-determination
Or an apartheid regime
Peace based on justice
Is the only winning team

O’ America, the land of opposites

Let’s turn the side that’s ugly
And keep America the beautiful
Act not so smugly
But embrace your own ideal