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What is this land of America, so many travel there
I'm going now while I'm still young, my darling meet me there
Wish me luck my lovely, I'll send for you when I can
And we'll make our home in the American land
Over there all the woman wear silk and satin to their knees
And children dear, the sweets, I hear, are growing on the trees
Gold comes rushing out the river straight into your hands
If you make your home in the American land
There's diamonds in the sidewalks, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spire
I wandered to the valley of red-hot steel and fire
We made the steel that built the cities with the sweat of our two hands
And I made my home in the American land
There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
The McNicholas, the Posalski's, the Smiths, Zerillis too
The Blacks, the Irish, the Italians, the Germans and the Jews
The Puerto Ricans, illegals, the Asians, Arabs miles from home
Come across the water with a fire down below
They died building the railroads, worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories, names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago, they're dyin' now
The hands that built the country we're all trying to keep down
There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
Who will make his home in the American land
Who will make his home in the American land
I'm going now while I'm still young, my darling meet me there
Wish me luck my lovely, I'll send for you when I can
And we'll make our home in the American land
Over there all the woman wear silk and satin to their knees
And children dear, the sweets, I hear, are growing on the trees
Gold comes rushing out the river straight into your hands
If you make your home in the American land
There's diamonds in the sidewalks, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spire
I wandered to the valley of red-hot steel and fire
We made the steel that built the cities with the sweat of our two hands
And I made my home in the American land
There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
The McNicholas, the Posalski's, the Smiths, Zerillis too
The Blacks, the Irish, the Italians, the Germans and the Jews
The Puerto Ricans, illegals, the Asians, Arabs miles from home
Come across the water with a fire down below
They died building the railroads, worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories, names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago, they're dyin' now
The hands that built the country we're all trying to keep down
There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American land
Who will make his home in the American land
Who will make his home in the American land
Lyrics submitted by r.e.v.e.d.a
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As a Brit I think this is saying to America stop being so insular about yourselves. America was founded on immigration, you nation has been built on the blood and sweat of countless Europeans, Africans and Asians and that shouldn't be forgotten.
"As a Brit I think this is saying to America stop being so insular about yourselves. America was founded on immigration, you nation has been built on the blood and sweat of countless Europeans, Africans and Asians and that shouldn't be forgotten." - Great comment there and I'm American
This song is basically the dream and vision of america as seen by immigrants for generations
America offers the promise but it is up to individuals to stop looking at "America" to make them happy. Yes, legal immigrants came here, built the country and died here, but for the most part they also enjoyed a great life, had much better opportunities than whatever hell hole they came from and the majority of their descendants are still reaping the benefits of their hard work. We will all die one day and those immigrants who worked to the bone were Blessed to have died in this amazing country and the majority of them achieved their goal of living a better life and offering opportunitites to their children that they would not have had in their home land.
An underlying message is that the rich and greedy benefited from their work and abused the immigrants, however, that is a lie. I don't know about you but no poor person ever offered me a job. People who begrudge the wealthy do not understand that it takes a whole lot of wealthy people to create jobs so that they can be offered to the average working man/woman so that they in turn can work and perhaps achieve their dreams. America does not guarantee diamonds and gold, but it does guarantee the opportunity to achieve wealth. How you define wealth is what determines your character.
I for one am wealthy, in the sense that I work, we provide for our family, have a nice place to live and know how to budget so that we do not go without wanting. That means I do not drive a BMW or Mercedes or live above our means in any way. I am so totally OK with people having more than I do, but that takes maturity and realism, which I guess I was blessed with and is in my nature. Thank God it is, or maybe I too would be miserable looking at other people's monetary gains.
Bruce, I love you...but maybe you should think about writing a song about priorities and getting them straight. Maybe then your fans could get a lesson on how to manage and control what they can in their lives instead of blaming everyone else for their misery. Most of my peers are in debt and it is only because their priorities are all screwed up.
My 2 cents worth. This country delivers the promise to anyone willing to receive it.
There is no sin in being wealthy and making your own, just as long as you are not hurting or damaging the welfare of others to do so.
This song points out that people have heard or seen - from movies, magazines, etc. - that it's very easy to make money and acheive wealth just by hard work. That is not true. A lot of it is luck and who you know. The wealthiest people have not manual laborers....
This song isn't "blaming everyone else for their misery". It's saying that not everything is as it appears.