I See America Through the Eyes of Love

Over 30 years ago, Ken Medema created a patriotic song that still sings in me

Here are the lyrics to "I See America Through the Eyes of Love" by Ken Medema, a blind singer/songwriter who grew up at Silver Lake, Michigan. From the time I heard and sang "Moses" in a college choral group to today, I have received inspiration, challenge, comfort, and insight from Medema's songs--frequently created and sung extemporaneously immediately following a speaker's conclusion in a conference or faith and justice gathering.

You can listen to "I See America" at this YouTube link.

Verse 1 

I have seen the white sand beaches

Near the town where I was born

I have seen the springtime forest

Fresh and green

I have walked along the highways

By the fields of standing corn

I have breathed the mountain air

So fresh and clean

And I've been in other places

Where it's hard to breathe the air

And the high rise holocaust

Blocks the morning sun

Where children play in dirty streets

And no one seems to care

America's children

Look what we have done

Refrain

I see America

Through the eyes of love

I long for all her people to be free

And if you see

Put your hand to the job

There is work that must be done

'Til freedom's song is sung from sea to shining sea

Verse 2

I have seen the dauntless pilgrims

Who came from foreign shores

And braved the raging peril of the sea

I have seen them suffer hardship

And risk their lives in war

In order that a people may be free

But I've seen how first Americans were

Driven from their land

And I've seen the slave ships come

From far away

Tyranny is still alive

There is hate on every hand

We must work to end oppression's day

Verse 3

I have seen the untold millions

Whose birthplace freedom made

Who nourished by her dream grew

Strong and tall

I have seen them teach their children

So the dream would never fade

I have seen them stand to answer

Freedom's call

But I've seen how greed and carelessness

Can wipe the dream away

To create a living nightmare in its stead

So rise up children dream again

For it's time for us to say

Though some may scoff

The dreamers are not dead