Ani Difranco - Grand Canyon lyrics

I love my country By which I mean I am indebted joyfully To all the people throughout its history Who have fought the government to make right Where so many cunning sons and daughters Our fore mothers and forefathers Came singing through slaughter Came through hell and high water So that we could stand here And behold breathlessly the sight How a raging river of tears Cut a grand canyon of light Yes, I've bin so many places Flown through vast empty spaces With stewardesses whose hands Look much older than their faces I've tossed so many napkins Into that big hole in the sky Bin at the bottom of the Atlantic Seething in a two-ply Looking up through all that water And the fishes swimming by And I don't always feel lucky But I'm smart enough to try 'cause humility has buoyancy And above us only sky So I lean in Breathe deeper that brutal burning smell That surrounds the smoldering wreckage That I've come to love so well Yes, color me stunned and dazzled By all the red white and blue flashing lights In the American intersection Where black crashed head on with white Comes a melody Comes a rhythm A particular resonance That is us and only us Comes a screaming ambulance A hand that you can trust Laid steady on your chest Working for the better good (which is good at its best) And too, bearing witness Like a woman bears a child: With all her might Born of the greatest pain Into a grand canyon of light I mean, no song has gone unsung here And this joint is strung crazy tight And people bin raising up their voices Since it just ain't bin right With all the righteous rage And all the bitter spite That will accompany us out Of this long night That will grab us by the hand When we are ready to take flight Seat back and tray table In the upright and locked position Shocked to tears by each new vision Of all that my ancestors have done Like, say, the women who gave their lives So that I could have one People, we are standing at ground zero Of the feminist revolution Yeah, it was an inside job Stoic and sly One we're supposed to forget And downplay and deny But I think the time is nothing If not nigh To let the truth out Coolest f-word ever deserves a f**ing shout! I mean Why can't all decent men and women Call themselves feminists? Out of respect For those who fought for this I mean, look around We have this Yes I love my country By which I mean I am indebted joyfully To all the people throughout its history Who have fought the government to make right Where so many cunning sons and daughters Our fore mothers and forefathers Came singing through slaughter Came through hell and high water So that we could stand here And behold breathlessly the sight How a raging river of tears Is cutting a grand canyon of light