“Torn and Tattered”
[Verse 1]
I was stitched in fire, born of flame,
In a land that dared to stake its name.
Thirteen stars and stripes of red,
For every soul that fought and bled.
I flew at dawn on Bunker Hill,
Through smoke and blood, I’m flying still.
Torn and tattered, yet I wave,
O’er the cradle of the bold and brave.
[Chorus]
I am torn and tattered, weather-worn,
From every storm this land has borne.
But I still rise in morning’s light,
A symbol forged by freedom’s fight.
From cannon's roar to silent prayer,
I’ve been the thread that’s always there.
Though scarred by time and battle cry,
I wave for every soul that died.
[Verse 2]
I watched a nation split in two,
When brothers fought in gray and blue.
I wept through Gettysburg’s red rain,
Then flew above that field of pain.
I rose again on foreign sands,
In Flanders, France, and desert lands.
Held high by hands both black and white,
Who dreamed of truth and died for right.
[Chorus]
I am torn and tattered, battle-bound,
But never once have I backed down.
From marching drums to mothers’ tears,
I’ve waved through centuries of fears.
Through dust of towers turned to ash,
Through fire and steel, through hope and crash.
Still I stand through every trial,
For every freedom, every mile.
[Bridge]
I’ve been burned and dragged and stitched anew,
Folded for the proud and true.
Saluted by the young and old,
Wrapped around the brave and bold.
I’ve flown above a soldier’s grave,
And in the hands of those enslaved.
But still I rise on every hill—
The dream, the fight, the people’s will.
[Final Chorus]
I am torn and tattered, tried and true,
But I belong to all of you.
Each stripe a scar, each star a light,
A beacon through the darkest night.
From Revolution’s fiery spark
To moonlit steps in oceans dark—
I am the banner, born to last…
A testament to freedom’s past.
[Outro]
So let me wave where hearts still beat,
On small-town lawns and city streets.
Though winds may whip and time may fray—
I am the flag... and I will stay.