Hello America (From Up Here)

 

"Hello America (From Up Here)"
(Lyrics by Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita, inspired by Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans”)

Verse 1:
Riding on the wave of breaking headlines,
From Texas down to D.C.'s frozen stone.
ICE vans rolling in the night,
Families vanish out of sight,
While children cry in cages, all alone.

Chorus:
Hello America, how are you?
We’re just watching from the northern shore.
Scratching our heads in Coast Salish waters,
Wondering what all this madness is for.

Verse 2:
They cut the care from those who need it most,
Sick folks praying in a parking lot.
While billionaires get tax relief,
And preach their gospel of disbelief,
The heart of kindness seems to be forgot.

Verse 3:
The news keeps spinning tales of fear and fire,
Guns in schools and profits in the lead.
Deport the dreamers, close the gates,
Sell the soul to twist the fates,
And call it “freedom” while the people bleed.

Verse 4:
We walk on unceded territories here,
Learned the truth they tried to hide so well.
No one’s illegal on stolen land,
From Standing Rock to Wet’suwet’en,
The spirit rises, hear the elders yell.

Chorus:
Hello America, how are you?
From Turtle Island, we see the truth unplanned.
Borders drawn by greed and power,
But justice grows from sacred land.

Bridge:
We’re not perfect on this mountain,
Got our scars from settler hands.
But we’re listening to the drumbeats,
Trying to heal and understand.