There's a much deeper wound we've allowed to fester
People just assumed we'd have taken care of her
Properly bandaged and then tucked it out of sight
Never dreamed we wouldn't have cleaned the lesion.
Now we must sever a limb and cauterize immediately
But our pride won't let us hobble onto the world stage
With so much as a limp (much less a crutch replacing a leg):
The conundrum that felled a once promising nation.
A reflection in the mirror of the cancer that killed us
Our own vanity flashed in a compromising position
Doubling down on a misguided faith which filled us
With the disturbing refusal to simply admit our mistake.
Don't expect us to beg for forgiveness, dear world
There's no way our hypocrisy could ever afford that
By misinterpreting the spirit behind our scripture
We'd just as soon lunge for the jugular and attack.
Now that the flames of shame have been stoked by gas light
Burning in the embers of his eyes aglow with ambition
Funny how the shadows cast on the wall are mistaken
Magnifying our worst fear into a parody of fiction.
Because we, in America, have handed over the megaphone
To a megalomaniac drunk with power as an aphrodisiac
Whispering promises into the ears of our televangelicals
With a wink and a nudge and a nod to our enemies abroad.
The very powers across the sea with whom we've been at odds
You see, there's a hint growing towards an austere conspiracy
As you can hear the news reports echo that exact sort of thought
It makes perfect sense when you factor in that type of mentality.
What does it appear I am claiming here in this stately verse?
That the villains of this country are the ones voting for democracy?
The bad guys are the folks here who champion people of color and diversity?
It should be plain the old guard's feathers are getting ruffled, you see.
This is what happens when you let the one who mustn't be named inside
Whispering assurances through a disguise while asking if he can help guide
You all to the promised land at the expense of those left behind who've fallen
With eyes opened as wide as his stomach before the lies you're all swallowing.
If only we'd followed the teachings true to our hearts nineteen years ago
Practiced real courage in the face of a world whose breath was held captured
Declared to all people that we'd never be lowered to the level of desperate devils
Instead of ditching our dream by the side of the road to become enraptured.
First and foremost, your bigotry, duplicity, dishonesty, and deception
Pays lips service to an imposture of mockery and fake affectation
The price to be paid for our sins remains in the lifeblood flowing through this nation
Open your eyes and take a look at who we've invited in here for the duration.
