The House I Live In

What is America to me
A name, a map, or a flag I see
A certain word, democracy
What is America to meThe house I live in
A plot of Earth, a street
The grocer and the butcher
And the people that I meetThe children in the playground
The faces that I see
All races and religions
That's America to meThe place I work in
The worker by my side
The little town the city
Where my people lived and diedThe howdy and the handshake
The air a feeling free
And the right to speak your mind out
That's America to meThe things I see about me
The big things and the small
The little corner newsstand
Or the house a mile tallThe wedding and the churchyard
The laughter and the tears
The dream that's been a growing
For a hundred and fifty yearsThe town I live in
The street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city
Or the garden all in bloomThe church the school the clubhouse
The million lights I see
But especially the people
That's America to me