Pity the nation whose people are sheep And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars Whose sages are silenced And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice Except to praise conquerors And acclaim the bully as hero And aims to rule the world By force and by torture
Pity the nation that knows No other language but its own And no other culture but its own
Pity the nation whose breath is money And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
Pity the nation oh pity the people who allow their rights to erode and their freedoms to be washed away
My country, tears of thee Sweet land of liberty!
copyright Lawrence Ferlingetti