I remember a nation
Where the things that are now cliché
Were truth
I remember the nation
Of Robert Frost
And Norman Rockwell
It was a nation of heroes
It was a nation of Yankee skeptics
And Johnny Reb independents
It was a nation of stubborn honesty
(Except maybe while horse-trading)
And great ingenuity
It was a nation of liberty and justice
Maybe not for all
But we were learning
It was a nation of respect
A nation of neighbors
A nation of friends
It was a nation where people mattered
More than programs
A nation where a handshake
Was a binding contract
Because the people who were thus bound
Were bound by character
It was a nation where pride and self-respect
Meant that mean, small thinking
Was beneath us
That dishonesty brought disdain
And that there was something wonderful
About being an American
I remember a nation
Where people worked hard
Where they laughed and joked in the shade
While eating box lunches
Before rising, and stretching
And moving out into a field to do something
