Vox Momenti: It’s Not You, America

It's this passing cloud casting a dark shadow on your alabaster cities and your hopeful children. [Verse 1] It’s not you, America, I’ve seen your morning face, The schoolyards full of laughter, The sunlight on the place Where strangers stop for strangers, Where dreamers learn to stand, Where every mother’s hoping Her child will bless this land. But there’s a cloud above you now, A bruised and bitter thing, It makes the decent whisper, It makes the cruel sing. It dims your golden windows, It stains your harvest moon, It tells the tired-hearted That mercy died too soon. [Chorus] But it’s not you, America, It’s not your truest name. You’re more than fear and fury, More than hunger dressed as blame. You are beautiful beneath it, You are wounded, not undone, And when this cloud passes over, You’ll shine again in the sun. [Verse 2] There’s a mad scramble rising To punish the weak for their weakness, To fawn over the rich For their glittering patronage, To make the desperate believe In a yesterday that can never return, To sell them old ghosts While the bridges burn. There are hands pointing outward At faces darker than fear, Scapegoating innocents For the color they appear. There are drums in the distance, There are flags on the screen, There are outcast nations Turned to target practice dreams. [Chorus] But it’s not you, America, It’s not your truest name. You’re more than fear and fury, More than hunger dressed as blame. You are beautiful beneath it, You are wounded, not undone, And when this cloud passes over, You’ll shine again in the sun. [Bridge] I remember your better angels, I remember your open door, I remember the kitchen tables Where the poor still fed the poor. I remember all the marches, Every hand that would not yield, Every child who raised a question, Every farmer in the field. You were never made of marble, You were never free of scars, But you held a sky of promise Underneath your stripes and stars. And even now the light is waiting Behind this thunderhead, In the hearts of hopeful children Who refuse to bow their heads. [Verse 3] So let the cloud keep drifting, Let the dark exhaust its breath, Let the merchants of resentment Spend themselves to death. Let the lies fall silent, Let the frightened learn to see, That no nation can be mighty While its soul is on its knees. It’s not you, America, Though the shadow feels like night. I have seen your hidden kindness, I have seen your stubborn light. In the nurses, in the teachers, In the workers on the line, In the neighbors bringing candles When the power fails to shine. [Final Chorus] No, it’s not you, America, It’s not your truest name. You’re more than fear and fury, More than hunger dressed as blame. You are beautiful beneath it, You are wounded, not undone, And when this cloud passes over, You’ll shine again in the sun. [Outro] It’s not you, America, The morning still is near. Your children are still hoping, Your bells still want to clear. And when this cloud passes over, When the shadow comes apart, Your alabaster cities Will be lit by your own heart.