Searching for America Janis Ian
"Searching for America" by Janis Ian, released in 1976, is a folk song reflecting on the search for identity, belonging, and the disillusionment with societal changes. It explores themes of nostalgia, loss, and the quest for authenticity. The poignant lyrics convey a deep yearning for connection. The song’s acoustic elements and heartfelt delivery enhance its emotional resonance. #Folk
[Verse 1]
Where have you been that made you weep
And left these stains upon your cheek?
What did you see while you were gone
That haunts your eyes this sunny dawn?
They herded us like so much meat
Up from the sewers to the street
Where concrete canyons stretched their walls
So high it made us want to crawl
Past proverbs writ on subway cars
And in between the window bars
We walked until the pavement bled
And not a curse was left unsaid
Into a place that knows no spring
Where only steel and silver sing
They made us dance until we dropped
And the music of jackhammers finally stopped
[Pre-Chorus]
I caught a cinder in my eye
Searching for a patch of sky
But the shadows drizzled down like in Pompeii
That's how I spent my yesterday
[Chorus]
Searching for America
In the rivets and the rust
Searching for America
Finding only dust
Where have you been that made you weep
And left these stains upon your cheek?
What did you see while you were gone
That haunts your eyes this sunny dawn?
They herded us like so much meat
Up from the sewers to the street
Where concrete canyons stretched their walls
So high it made us want to crawl
Past proverbs writ on subway cars
And in between the window bars
We walked until the pavement bled
And not a curse was left unsaid
Into a place that knows no spring
Where only steel and silver sing
They made us dance until we dropped
And the music of jackhammers finally stopped
[Pre-Chorus]
I caught a cinder in my eye
Searching for a patch of sky
But the shadows drizzled down like in Pompeii
That's how I spent my yesterday
[Chorus]
Searching for America
In the rivets and the rust
Searching for America
Finding only dust
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