Derek Webb American Flag Umbrella Lyrics

i’m building a house on the limb
i need something that could stop a war
but i’m beset on all sides
by extremists with eyes on my heart
so i lie to everyone

i’ve lied to so many lovers
i’ve gotten away with it too
but if God is against us
then who can be for us my friends
there’s justice for everyone

please take your hands off my brother
please take your laws off my lover
the agents of law
should always be blind and on time
till there’s freedom for everyone

where are your american brothers
american before they were named
they’re a huddling mass
with no oceans to cross for our shores
where there’s fortune for everyone

oppression is always oppression
no matter the reasons or means
for skin or for sex,
by stares or by fists it’s the same there are blinders on everyone

i’ve looked through the eyes of my father
i’ve walked through lincoln’s backyard
and there’s still a backseat
when you ride on the bus through this town
there’s color on everyone

so we lie beneath a tree of no color
like an american flag umbrella
it keeps the elements out
and it’s stuck to the ground in this place
but there’s room for everyone

i know a way out of hell
we raise all our enemies’ children
after they’ve murdered ours
we affix all their scars to our walls
so there’s heartbreak for everyone

in the end it will all be ok
that’s what the wise men tell us
so if it’s not ok then it’s not the end, oh my friends
there’s hope for everyone