Julie Lavery - Stars and Stripes (Live) (2023)

My sister can’t afford a house

And she thinks it’s her fault

She says if she worked harder

She’d have money in the vault

And my mother needs a surgery

Her hand’s always in pain

But she fell ill last April

And used up all her sick days

[Verse 2]

They say, the homeless need to disappear

Extract them like a tumor

A stain on our society

They’re all broken consumers

Don’t try to put the blame on us

They ruined their own lives

It’s not our fault they got hooked

On drugs that we prescribed

[Chorus]

Em Stars for the silver spoons

Em Stripes for the poor

Em Stars for the nightly news and

Em Stripes if you oppose the war

Stars if you steal the land

Stripes if you take a stand

Stars if you march in time

Stripes if you don’t fall in line

[Verse 3]

We send our babies off to school

Our children are the future

Then teach them how to hide

Beneath their desks for active shooters

Oh we could make a difference

If we weren’t so fucking tired

But who’s got time to fight

When you’re just trying to survive

[Chorus]

Em Stars for the silver spoons

Em Stripes for the poor

Em Stars for the nightly news and

Em Stripes if you oppose the war

Stars if you steal the land

Stripes if you take a stand

Stars if you march in time

Stripes if you don’t fall in line

[Bridge]

They want a standing ovation

For the hero nation but

Why should we when

The man on the corner

Begging for a quarter

Lost his legs on your orders

[Chorus]

Em Stars for the silver spoons

Em Stripes for the poor

Em Stars for the nightly news and

Em Stripes if you oppose the war

Stars if you steal the land

Stripes if you take a stand

Stars if you march in time

Stripes if you don’t fall in line

Don’t fall in line