We Americans The Avett Brothers

[Verse 1]
I grew up with reverence for the red, white, and blue
Spoke of God and liberty, reciting the pledge of allegiance
Learned love of country from my own family
Some shivered and prayed approaching the beaches of Normandy
The flag waves high and that's how it should be
So many lives given and taken in the name of freedom
But the story's complicated and hard to read
Pages of the book obscured or torn out completely

[Chorus]
I am a son of uncle Sam
And I struggle to understand the good and evil
But I'm doing the best I can
In a place built on stolen land with stolen people

[Post-Chorus]
Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco
Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco
Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco

[Verse 2]
A misnamed people and a kidnapped race
Laws may change, but we can't erase the scars of a nation
Of children devalued and disavowed
Displaced by greed and the arrogance of manifest destiny
Short-sighted to say it was a long time ago
Not even two life times have passed since the days of Lincoln
The sins of Andrew Jackson, the shame of Jim crow
And time moves slow when the tragedies are beyond description