America the Golden Door

America the Golden Door

They stood along the Hudson
And they sang into the winds
A bastion in all their glory
Built by the sons of men

And then came demons
Who posed as gentle and benign
They hid behind our freedom
To carry out evil designs

Their acts forbode not well
For now we suspect every face
Before we trusted our fellows
Now unwilling to give them grace

And still we chide ourselves
For our former indecision
And though our eyes fill with tears
They do not dim our vision.

For our strength is in our resolve
And we will see this through
For evil men committing evil acts
And evil to them will accrue

We are tempted to close our gates
To let none enter this land
To care for those within this place
And quench the torch in her hand

Still we call for your tired, your poor
The wretched refuse of your shores
Your masses yearning to breathe free
For still we are the golden door.