Fifth of July

The heat of the season upon us
The breezes, the burgers, the beers
Set aside fear in God and give us a nod
Two hundred and forty-one years

It's easy enough to forget
The curious challenge we won
With parades snaking by, the anthem, the pie
And all in the 8 pm sun

Beside all the bounty is shadow
The teetering tower of need
Oh yeah, life is a ball, here we have it all
And plenty of hunger to feed

And out on the street there are two hearts
Saying their quiet goodbyes
And back at the bar, two strangers' smiles
Are catching one another's eyes

The truth of the matter is nowhere
Did he hit, did he miss when he swung?
Oh it's money, the flag, the have nots and haves
The fear and the love of the gun

And now that the fights they are firing
Across the beloved divide
Well I foolishly figured
That we could always count on a gentle collide

Most days I'm found at your mercy
Town by town, mile for mile
Oh I breathe the highway, I'm in the moon
I am an American child

Who's straining and stretching to hear you
Above winning and warring and lying
And I'd like to just run but when all's said and done
I'm still in the business of trying

So when I pause for a moment
And offer you this, by-and-by
My worry and hope, good luck to my home
Born on the fourth of July