All in the Same Boat Now 

words: Byron Walls

music: Judith Freeman

Video: Larry Anderson

My great granddad from Oslo,

when he was twenty-three,
Boarded a schooner and set out ‘cross the sea, Along with his two brothers in eighteen sixty-one, Settled near Fargo, became Americans.

Alex came from Kiev, Julong from Taipei,
Maria from Mazatlan, Maud from Galway Bay, Mothers and fathers, daughters and sons,
Put their dreams in motion, to become Americans.

Refrain:

It’s a story as old as this country is young,
And the red, white and blue stand for freedom, And justice for all, that’s the
hardest one somehow,
We all came here on diff’rent ships,
but we’re all in the same boat now.

Whether Christian, Sikh or Moslem, Buddhist or Jew,
We’re a patchwork quilt of customs, menus, and views,

Diversity is who we are so welcome ev’ry one, We’re a coat of many colors, We are Americans.

Refrain

Some were forced against their
will shackled to a deck,
A stain on our history, one that lingers yet,
A struggle ongoing, time cannot transcend, Pray our better angels can heal us in the end.

Spoken:

But in the big picture, no matter where we came from,
We are all simply human beings, sharing the same small planet,
Who desire the same universal things: respect, love, justice,
Clean water, security, freedom to speak our minds, challenge authority, Opportunities for ourselves and our children to get ahead.

So join us at the table, we welcome ev’ry one That’s what makes us who we are,
We are Americans.