Song:
I picked this song, because it went with education and it talks about it. It shows that education can be a good thing and not a bad thing and that education should be available to everyone
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Poem:
Here in America
In ever single state
They have a set of standards for every subject
A collection of lessons that the teacher is required to teach by the end of the term
But the greatest lessons you will ever teach us will not come from our syllabus
The greatest lessons you will ever teach us you will no even remember
You never told us what we weren't allowed to say, We just learned how to hold our tongues
Now somewhere in America this is a child holding a cop of Catcher and the Rye and there is a child holding a gun
But only one of these things have been banned by the state government and its not the one that can rip through flesh
Its the one that says F you on more pages than one
Because we must controls what the people say, how they think
And if they want to become the overseer of their own selves, Then we'll show them a real one
And somewhere in America there is a child sitting at his mother's computer, Reading the homepage of the KKK's website
And that's open to the public
But that child will never have read 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' because the school has banned it for the use of the N word
Maya Angelo is prohibited because we are not allowed to talk about rape in school
We are taught that just because something happens doesn't mean you are to talk about it
They build us brand new shopping malls so that we forget where we are really standing
On the bones of the Hispanics
On the bones of the slaves
On the bones of the Native Americans
On the bones of those who fought just to speak.
Transcontinental railroads to Japanese internment camp, There are things missing from our history books
But we were taught it is better to be silent than to make them uncomfortable
Somewhere in America
Private schools girls search for hours through boutiques trying to find the prom dress of their dreams
While kids on the Southside spend hours searching through the lost-and-found because winter is coming soon and that's the only jacket they have
Kids are late to class for working the midnight shifts
They gives awards for best attendance, but not for keeping your family off the street
These kids will call your music "ghetto", they will tell you that you don't talk right
Then they will get in the back seat of a car with all their friends saying how they're bout that life and we cant stop
Somewhere in America
Schools are promoting self-confidence while they whip out their scales and shout out your body fat percentage in class
While the heftier girls are hiding away and the slim-fit beauties can't help but giggle with pride
The preppy kids go shopping because they think it sounds fun
While we go because that's all we've got money for
Because Mama works for the city
Mama only gets paid once a month
Somewhere in America
A girl is felt up by a grown an on the subway
She's still wearing her school uniform and that's part of the appeal
It's hard to run in knee socks and Mary Janes and all her male teachers know it too
Coaches cover up star player raping freshman after the dance
Women are killed for rejecting dates
But God forbid I bring my girlfriend to prom
A girl is blackout drunk at the after party
Take a picture before her wounds wake her
How many pixels is your sanity worth
What's a 4.0 to a cold jury
What'd you learn in class today
Don't talk loud
Don't speak loud
Keep your hands to yourself
Keep your head down
Keep your eyes in your own paper
If you don't know the answer,fill in C
Always wear ear buds when you ride the bus alone
If you feel like someone's following you, pretend you're on the phone
A teacher never fails
Only you do
Every state in America
The greatest lessons are the ones you don't remember learning
In ever single state
They have a set of standards for every subject
A collection of lessons that the teacher is required to teach by the end of the term
But the greatest lessons you will ever teach us will not come from our syllabus
The greatest lessons you will ever teach us you will no even remember
You never told us what we weren't allowed to say, We just learned how to hold our tongues
Now somewhere in America this is a child holding a cop of Catcher and the Rye and there is a child holding a gun
But only one of these things have been banned by the state government and its not the one that can rip through flesh
Its the one that says F you on more pages than one
Because we must controls what the people say, how they think
And if they want to become the overseer of their own selves, Then we'll show them a real one
And somewhere in America there is a child sitting at his mother's computer, Reading the homepage of the KKK's website
And that's open to the public
But that child will never have read 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' because the school has banned it for the use of the N word
Maya Angelo is prohibited because we are not allowed to talk about rape in school
We are taught that just because something happens doesn't mean you are to talk about it
They build us brand new shopping malls so that we forget where we are really standing
On the bones of the Hispanics
On the bones of the slaves
On the bones of the Native Americans
On the bones of those who fought just to speak.
Transcontinental railroads to Japanese internment camp, There are things missing from our history books
But we were taught it is better to be silent than to make them uncomfortable
Somewhere in America
Private schools girls search for hours through boutiques trying to find the prom dress of their dreams
While kids on the Southside spend hours searching through the lost-and-found because winter is coming soon and that's the only jacket they have
Kids are late to class for working the midnight shifts
They gives awards for best attendance, but not for keeping your family off the street
These kids will call your music "ghetto", they will tell you that you don't talk right
Then they will get in the back seat of a car with all their friends saying how they're bout that life and we cant stop
Somewhere in America
Schools are promoting self-confidence while they whip out their scales and shout out your body fat percentage in class
While the heftier girls are hiding away and the slim-fit beauties can't help but giggle with pride
The preppy kids go shopping because they think it sounds fun
While we go because that's all we've got money for
Because Mama works for the city
Mama only gets paid once a month
Somewhere in America
A girl is felt up by a grown an on the subway
She's still wearing her school uniform and that's part of the appeal
It's hard to run in knee socks and Mary Janes and all her male teachers know it too
Coaches cover up star player raping freshman after the dance
Women are killed for rejecting dates
But God forbid I bring my girlfriend to prom
A girl is blackout drunk at the after party
Take a picture before her wounds wake her
How many pixels is your sanity worth
What's a 4.0 to a cold jury
What'd you learn in class today
Don't talk loud
Don't speak loud
Keep your hands to yourself
Keep your head down
Keep your eyes in your own paper
If you don't know the answer,fill in C
Always wear ear buds when you ride the bus alone
If you feel like someone's following you, pretend you're on the phone
A teacher never fails
Only you do
Every state in America
The greatest lessons are the ones you don't remember learning