Verse 1
Sun comes up on a cracked driveway,
Coffee tastes like another long day.
Clocking in just to stay afloat,
Watching my paycheck sink like a stone.
Cart half full at the grocery store,
Still costs more than it did before.
I do the math, it don’t add up,
Feels like hard work ain’t enough.
Pre-Chorus
They talk real big from a polished screen,
But life don’t look like what they mean.
Chorus
I was raised to believe in this land,
That if you work hard you’d have a chance.
But the rent’s too high, the bills don’t wait,
And the dream keeps drifting further away.
I still love this red, white, and blue,
But loving it shouldn’t break you in two.
I ain’t asking for a handout, just a fair shot,
To live in the country my family fought for.
Verse 2
Turn on the news, they sell a smile,
Say we’re winning, just give it time.
But they cut the clip, they twist the truth,
Talk down to towns they never knew.
They say we’re fine, say trust the plan,
From a desk that’s never skipped a meal or rent.
Truth gets buried under talking heads,
While real life bleeds between the ads.
Pre-Chorus
They call it progress, call us blind,
But I trust my eyes more than their lines.
Chorus
I was raised to believe in this land,
That if you work hard you’d have a chance.
But the rent’s too high, the bills don’t wait,
And the dream keeps drifting further away.
I still love this red, white, and blue,
But loving it shouldn’t break you in two.
I ain’t asking for a handout, just a fair shot,
To live in the country my family fought for.
Bridge
Don’t gaslight pain you’ve never felt,
We know the difference between truth and spin.
Stop telling us how good it is,
When we’re choosing between groceries and rent.
Final Chorus
I still stand for this country strong,
Even when it feels like something’s wrong.
I believe in work, I believe in truth,
Not headlines paid to bend the proof.
Don’t sell us fear, don’t drown us in debt,
Don’t rewrite lives you never met.
I love this land, yeah that’s for sure,
Just wanna afford the American dream again.