America the Beautiful?
(written for the ICE OUT nonviolent resistance movement in Minneapolis Minnesota)
- From many different story lines
We all live in this land.
No matter what our starting point,
we’re here to make a stand
America, America,
let’s be a land for all
Where everybody has enough
For freedom heed the call. - At any time in your neighborhood,
a gray van may come through
To take away your neighbor there,
before her children grew
Is this the way our parents taught,
to hate and put in jail?
Let’s make our city safe for us
and welcoming to all. - Somewhere deep in the Everglades,
a place that’s close to hell
They carted off our neighbors there,
their story we must tell
We will not rest, we will not wait, and
tolerate these things
We’ll speak our minds, bodies on the line.
Together let freedom ring. - The roof that’s up above your home
The food that’s on your plate
From maintenance to elder care
And the art that they create
Our neighbors taken off by those
who thrive on fear and hate
But standing up for freedom here
Is what makes this country great.
Words: Joe Hesla, 2026
Tune: America the Beautiful
