SONG FOR AMERICA
Music and lyrics by Peri Smilow

Walkin’ past the gates of the prison
Winnie’s at your side
You hold your head up, proud and determined
Your spirit hasn’t died
You see, 500,000 are waiting in Cape Town
For word of your release
They’re dancing the toi-toi in the streets of Soweto
They sing: Nelson Mandela’s finally free
He’s free

CHORUS
There’s change blowin’, across the ocean
There’s freedom in the air
Hear the message in the crumbling of walls
Tear them down
They’ve got to all come down

Playwrights and poets have come to rule the East
They’re watchin’ protest on TV
Where once people stood on line to buy potatoes
They now stand in line to vote, whoa (chorus)

Thirty-two dead on the streets of Boston
Their faces young and black
They’re screamin’ for somebody who will listen
They’re tryin’ to fight back
America the Beautiful has all but been forgotten
In the land of the free the home of the brave
Can’t you see our children are dying
While the walls come down across the sea
They’re breakin’ free
Are we?