Oscar Brown Jr.
1
Dream of a land, one well worth coming from
A land with fertile nourishment it grows
A land from which great benefits can come
A land through which many a blessing flows
A land with an expansive point of view
That oversees its natural delights
A land receiving all the respect due
Because it is a land of equal rights
A land that is impressive and inspiring
That art can recognize and celebrate
In which the bells of freedom have a bright ring
Projecting peacefulness as a main trait
A land specializing in dignity
And all the benefits of liberty
2
Dream of a land that looks beyond the cars
And buildings, out beyond its manufacture
That sees the equilibrium of stars
The balances disorder cannot fracture
The basic agreements that must exist
For everything to move with so much grace
To cooperate rather than resist
With everyone allowed the needed space
A land consorting with its people sportingly
Accepting both the mundane and occult
In universal order and accordingly
Accrues the same universal result
A land of people possessed of a class
That only an enlightened country has
3
Dream of a land in which the thorns and scorn
The stress and the distresses and the strife
The unexpected burdens to be borne
Get greeted as the funky side of life
That has to be considered and endured
Until the arrival of our masks
Or remedies by which it can be cured
So we can continue with needed tasks
A land in opposition to regret
A land in favor of a better way
A land that confidently can expect
To lead its people to a brighter day
And for a crew to operate the place
A more accommodating human race
4
Dream of a land beholden to its folk
And governed in a way that gives a damn
Before the dream insists I be awoke
To the reality of where I am
Unless reality can be reformed
More to coincide with that sweet dream
Unless the wall of ignorance is stormed
And possibilities good as they seem
Can come as a result of having had
A preconceived notion of what to want
Dream of a land in which to be real glad
A sweet dream that while wide awake will haunt
Until discovery of what to do
In order to make such sweet dreams come true
5
Reality insists sweet dreams are futile
A trivial pursuit of fantasy
Reality insists on being brutal
Gives scant regard to life romantically
Creates a scene in nightmarish distortion
Where villains swagger with a ruthless virtue
Where CEOs can make off with a fortune
And criminals demand the right to search you
Reality insists that might makes right
And just as sure as terror works for fear
Reality won’t change without a fight
To make its brutal aspects disappear
The struggle with reality is on
It will be waiting by the bed at dawn
6
While the Totalitarian goes for his gun
To order the world “up against the wall”
We will be creating some righteous fun
Which right into his stick-up we install
We will confront his love for the uncouth
With high regard for how to keep our cools
His lies we will confront with basic truth
In order to deprive him of his fools
He is relying on having the drop
But we have rhythm that will undermine
The Totalitarian up on top
And send him to the back of every line
It is the basic battle of destroy
Up against the force of peace and joy
7
We have no secret service, no G2
No inside agents in a cryptic code
No need to secret anything we do
But take it up the middle of the road
Right straight into the heart and soul and mind
Intent to capture and to take control
Of any human beings we can find
And cast all of them in a different role
We have openings for many a free spirit
Good hearts and any interested minds
We want to take society and steer it
Toward any good intention it inclines
Our strategic objectives are clear
Wipe out ignorance and outflank fear
8
We have to set up special training camps
Where honor, truth and beauty can sought
Illuminaries are maintaining lamps
By which insights to wisdom can be caught
There is a need to creatively distract
The minds of the deprived being depraved
By the forces which have now attacked
To see this generation stays enslaved
Old ways must be known and new ones found
As “new duties make ancient good uncouth”
And “we move on up to higher ground”
In the free we’re made to be by truth
We have to get on quickly with the training
While there are yet some rays of hope remaining
9
Dream of a land in time as yet to come
That can be woven from imagination
Into accomplishment employing some
Genius of a future generation
That has had training in becoming bold
In defense of what is only right
Those who of the “real deal” have been told
Those who are the brightest of the bright
Dream of a land that can be made to be
Out of the fabric of imagination
Arriving however belatedly
To remain around for its duration
A “Dream of a land my soul is from”
And “I hear a hand stroke on a drum”