Land of the free
Home of the brave
That’s what they taught us
In the second grade
Neighbor’s shades stayed drawn
On the day that we moved in
Tommy lived a few doors down
Him and me, we made friends
I helped my dad fold the Sunday papers
Just a newsstand corner store
He sold soda pop and roses
Loaf of bread and a little more
Me and Tommy rode the scrapyard rails
He had a shiny bright red Schwinn
Me on my rusty Western Flyer
A darker color, like my skin
I remember that September
Hijackers pictures in the magazines
I heard this older fella talkin’
He said, “They all look the same to me...”
I remember when the war began
All the regulars went ’cross town
My dad said the milk went sour
And the bouquets all turned brown
I asked for a bike like Tommy’s
My dad said maybe next year...
They were buying American...
Buying American...
They were buying American fear
I helped him read the fine print
Drew up signs and stacked up crates
He gave me and Tommy ice cream & smiled
(He) knew his English wasn’t great
Then my dad stopped selling flowers
Threats of another desert storm
Cops were stopping girls in burkas
People started locking their doors
They dumbed it up on tv
Selling us their smarter bombs
Truth is, one man asks about your family
Another one shouts, “Bring it on...”
One night this group of townies stopped me
They were driving for the last beer run
One of ’em said, “Go home, Mohammed”
I told him I was born in Paterson
I remember when the war began
How the regulars went ’cross town
My dad said the milk went sour
And the bouquets all turned brown
I asked for a bike like Tommy’s
My dad said maybe next year...
They were buying American...
They were buying American fear