A New Direction for America

DEMOCRACY IS COMING TO THE U.S.A.

LEONARD COHEN’S “DEMOCRACY”: PERFORMED BY DON HENLEY

Today’s sweeping, resounding electoral defeat of the Bush administration and its draconian political policies by the American people truly represents the realization of hope for a New Direction for America.  This is a perhaps best portrayed by Leonard Cohen’s memorable song, “Democracy,” from his striking album, “The Future.”  It engages the best of our hopes for today, and tomorrow and the days after that.  The song is performed here by Don Henley:

“Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

It’s coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It’s here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it’s here they got the spiritual thirst.
It’s here the family’s broken
and it’s here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:

Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It’s coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we’ll be making love again.
We’ll be going down so deep
the river’s going to weep,
and the mountain’s going to shout Amen!
It’s coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:

Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.”