Page type: lyric reference
Artist: The Avett Brothers
Canonical path: /the-avett-brothers/we-americans
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
We Americans
Read We Americans lyrics by The Avett Brothers on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
We Americans
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
I grew up with reverence for the red white and blue
Spoke of God and liberty, reciting the pledge of allegiance
Learned love of country from my own family
Some shivered and prayed approaching the beaches of normandy
The flag waves high and that's how it should be
So many lives given and taken in the name of freedom
But the story's complicated and hard to read
Pages of the book obscured or torn out completely
I am a son of Uncle Sam
And I struggle to understand the good and evil
But I'm doing the best I can
In a place built on stolen land with stolen people
Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco
Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco
Blood in the soil with the cotton and tobacco
A misnamed people and a kidnapped race
Laws may change but we can't erase the scars of a nation
Of children devalued and disavowed
Displaced by greed and the arrogance of manifest destiny
Short-sighted to say it was a long time ago
Not even two lifetimes have past since the days of Lincoln
The sins of Andrew Jackson, the shame of Jim Crow
And time moves slow when the tragedies are beyond description
I am a son of Uncle Sam
And I struggle to understand the good and evil
But I'm doing the best I can
In a place built on stolen land with stolen people
We are more than the sum of our parts
All these broken homes and broken hearts
God will you keep us wherever we go
Will you forgive us for where we've been
We Americans
Blood on the table with the coffee and the sugar
Blood on the table with the coffee and the sugar
Blood on the table with the coffee and the sugar
I've been to every state, seen shore to shore
The still open wounds of the civil war
Watched blind hatred bounce back and forth
Seen vile prejudice both in the south and the north
And accountability is hard to impose
On ghosts of ancestors haunting the halls of our conscience
But the path of grace and goodwill is still here
For those of us who may be considered among the living
I am a son of God and man
And I may never understand the good and evil
But I dearly love this land
Because of, and in spite of we the people
We are more than the sum of our parts
All these broken bones and broken hearts
God will you keep us wherever we go
Can you forgive us for where we've been
We Americans
We Americans
Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory
Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory
Love in our hearts with the pain and the memory
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "We Americans"?
The Avett Brothers performs "We Americans", and this lyric page sits inside the The Avett Brothers catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "We Americans"?
Yes. The related section below points to Find My Love and C Sections And Railway Trestles with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by The Avett Brothers?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through The Avett Brothers's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on We Americans yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.