Waiting on the Promised Land

Verse 1:
They told us times were changin’, said the future's lookin' bright
Promised jobs and better wages, swore they’d make it all alright
But now the mill’s been shuttered, the fields are dry as bone
And the ones who swore they’d save us left us stranded on our own

Chorus:
We keep workin’, we keep prayin’, still waitin’ on the promised land
But the bank took Grandpa’s acres, now they’re buildin’ high-rise plans
They tell us we’re the backbone, but they break us every time
Still we line up every season, buyin’ into every lie

Verse 2:
They said the tariffs’d save us, bring the jobs back home to stay
But all it did was raise the prices, while the work still went away
Now the doc can’t keep the clinic, and the schoolhouse lights went dark
And they tell us it’s the liberals while they tear our world apart

Chorus (repeat)

Verse 3:
They cut the meds, they cut the pensions, said we’d all be better free
But freedom don’t mean nothin’ when you can’t afford to be
They tell us take some bootstraps, pull ourselves up once again
But it’s hard to climb that ladder when they’re sawin’ off the rungs at both ends

Chorus (repeat)

Bridge:
We’ve seen hard times, Lord, we’ve seen worse
We know pain and we know hurt
But tell me now, who profits most
When rural folks get left the ghost?

Outro:
So we keep workin’, we keep prayin’, still waitin’ on the promised land
While the men who make decisions never work with calloused hands
They tell us we’re the future, but they steal away our past
And we keep votin’, keep believin’—how long can the dream last?

This should work as a folk/country-style protest song—heartfelt

Credits:
Lyrics and melody by Robert Jennings
Published by InnerSelf Publications
AI-assisted production and vocals
©2025 InnerSelf Publications. All Rights Reserved.