He what this country needs is a skyscraper
that will scrape all the lies away
we don't need another empire state building
we need an ecstasy building
a building with big picture windows
so that every man woman and child
can see how big and how beautiful america is
the man who has been locked out of the secret pharmacy
the woman who has been locked out of secret shangri-la
all the children who have been locked up
in the secret basement of their parents' discontent
what this country needs is a skyscraper
that will scrape all the money away
all the hatred and the greed and the war
so that every man woman and child
can look right out and see the original america
america the ecstatic america the hopeful
america the sexy and the big and the bright
america drunk with marshegases and pussywillows
america happy as silver ribbons of springwater
america loud as waterfalls talkative as mountaintops
america rich as uranium mines stupid as iron ore and gold
america burgling around like moths in a wild man's hair
america with its face on fire laughing into the sun
america big lips wide shoulders america studded with raindrops
america cheeks wearing a three day growth of pine
it will have to be a big building of course
it will have to be a very big building
but this is a country of big people
a country of big hearted people
people with big hands and big ambitions
people with big hope and big bridges
big appetite big friendship
big churches big closets
big sandlot baseball
big potato salad

if there's any country that can do it
we can do it


�2007 by George Wallace