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The American Dream: On Fire
A Song Cycle

Liberty for all. Justice is blind. The ultimate Sacrifice. 

Freedom does not come without a price. 

The Pledge of Allegiance. One nation, under God, Indivisible— 

Sacred phrases which built our America; 

Phrases drenched in the sweat of immigrant hands, steeping in the grit of middle-class families, woven into the very fabric of the dreamers who still, despite seeing the contrary in every headline, believe this country is united— believe that everyone has a place here, has a purpose here. That our American mosaic, which paved our streets, leads us toward the more perfect union our forefathers dreamed of— a brighter tomorrow. 

Yet, when America looks in the mirror, she is burned and tattered. Decades of democracy and still she stands divided. The same phrases, once bridges, form dissonant walls. 

Phrases that mean nothing. And everything. Two hundred and fifty years since the American Experiment began, and what do we have to show for it? 

Who is she? 

Who are we?

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© 2025 by Morgan Vanderlaan & Nicolas Chalise

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