The House I Live In (That's America to Me)

What is America to me

A name, a map, or a flag I see

A certain world, democracy

What is America to me

The house I live in

A plot of earth, a street

The grocer and the butcher

And all the people that I meet

The children in the playground

The faces that i see

All races and religions

That's America to me

The place I work in

The worker by my side

The little town, the city

Where my people lived and died

The howdy and the handshake

The air of feeling free

And the right to speak your mind out

That's America to me

The things I see about me

The big things and the small

That little corner newsstand

And the house a mile tall

The wedding and the churchyard

The laughter and the tears

The dream that's been a-growing

For more than 200 years

The town I live in

The street (The street), the house (The house), the room

The pavement of the city

Or a garden all in bloom

The church, the school, the clubhouse

The million lights I see

But especially the people

That's America to me