you won't find it shining in the marble halls of Wall Street
or in the ticker tape pages of the papers they read
you can't see it in the flickering glitter of your TV screen
or the silicone smiles or empty eyes of super-model party society queens

but there's a light that burns eternal
not dimmed by the veils of neglect or of greed
Lady Liberty keeps shining

I see it in the men who wait with friends for work in my town
as they stand broke but still joking over coffee each morning
though only one in ten will be chosen and the rest will keep waiting
never losing hope as they cope with poverty we can't even understand

there's a light that burns eternal
not dimmed by the veils of neglect or of greed
Lady Liberty keeps shining

you won't find it in congress's chambers making laws to protect us
or in the president's jet as he meets the cabinet he's selected
these women and men have forgotten their reasons for running
but the people they've sworn to represent will always go down fighting

Shine shine shine shine

'cause there's a light that burns eternal
not dimmed by the veils of neglect or of greed
Lady Liberty keeps shining

Posted Monday, May 18th 2009