My people, we have done such things
Such wonderful things.
Our music moves me, makes me cry,
Makes goose bumps rise as fingers fly
Over keyboards, over strings.

We’ve built such wonders of our own,
Turned bare plain mud to polished stone.
We’ve built societies to care,
Paid tax to pool resources there
So those in need won’t be alone.

And, oh, the stories that we tell!
That we can walk almost as well
In the footsteps of another;
That any man could be my brother
And, for a while, with them I dwell.

And when we love, we love so strong
That we can love a lifetime long
And when we love with all our might
Not for self, but others, fight
To right the hardest wrong.

My people, we have done such things
Such terrible things
And I will never understand
The dark side to the heart of man
Nor why we should empower kings.

The man who longs to conquer power
Should, never for a single hour,
Be allowed to hold a sword
Nor ever should he be adored
Like some gold statue on a tower.

I bow to none but take the knee
So happily and easily
To those who work to save the child
Or those who serve, preserve the wild,
Protect our rights, who keep us free.

My people, we have done such things.