From the recording Singles
The Colossus of Rhodes loomed over you menacing, threatening, intimidating, defensive. But for all its aggressive intent, it fell down after half a century. Emma Lazarus wrote a sonnet about "The New Colossus" inviting, beckoning, and welcoming. I dropped her poem into the blender of my mind, and it tossed the confetti onto some chords like a ticker-tape homecoming.
Lyrics
Children of Our Liberty
she stands astride contested borders
crying out into the night
hides her child in new york harbor
guided by the golden light
she lifts her lamp beside the door
calling home the tired poor
till the day they're breathing free
children of our liberty
as threats surround the sea-washed city
praying for the welcome day
such a wretched weight to carry
lightened by the golden ray
she lifts her lamp beside the door
calling home the tired poor
till the day they're breathing free
children of our liberty
if you'd watched her all along
you'd've marveled at the work she's done
in the teeming shadows on your streets
you'd've sculpted her a monument
showered her with compliments
given her the only city key
she guards the yard with huddled reverence
like a sacrificial dream
on the altar of the tempest
offers up the golden beam
she lifts her lamp beside the door
calling home the tired poor
till the day they're breathing free
children of our liberty
(c)Dave Nealon 2026