I’m 16 years old but I know that
Things have happened in this country
Events that cannot be forgotten
Tears have been shed and hearts have been broken
Trust me I know that
But don’t tell me you hate it here
Don’t tell me that we aren’t free
Don’t tell me that we don’t have opportunity
Don’t tell me you want to leave and then don’t
Don’t tell me you hate this country because you’re broke
People continue to bash our nation with an undeserving, ungrateful heart
I know there are challenges with everything we do
I know there are problems that we have to fix, too
But don’t tell me you don’t respect our country
Thousands have died and you’re still alive
People stood in front of moving bullets to keep you that way
Don’t tell me you don’t feel free
When my brother is fighting for you
Every day he’s away I have to pray
How is that supposed to make me feel?
You don’t care that I could lose someone so incredibly important to me?
If you don’t like it here then
Go somewhere else that is supposedly better
I’m not telling you to believe in God and the things he does
But what you need to do is believe in the colors
Red from the blood that’s been shed to keep you from being dead
Blue from the justice of our people that are here for you, even if you don’t care
White that’ll keep you alive tonight
50 of the stars surround the surface of the flag
13 stripes dance from one end to the other
That means something
We are all one country and everyone matters
Put on your uniform and get on the line
We’re all in this one step at a time
We go through rough patches but look at the ashes
They didn’t die for you to wish you were somewhere else
Families everyday wish for their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, dads, moms, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, grandfathers, grandmothers
They are forced to look down when you keep your head turned
So look up at the flag with pride
Keep remembering all of those who died
Remember that you are apart of this country
Remember our amazing discovery
Look at how far we’ve come
We used to be a train of 50 cars
All pushing and pulling
Through purple mountains and the fruited plains
But we split
We are on different tracks, different trains
I don’t want my children to grow up like this
I want my children to ask me about our country with an open mind and an open heart
Their eyes will fill with glisten
As they are eager to listen
I will look them in their curious eyes
I will tell them yes, many people have died
But you know why I’m still alive?
Their toes will rise
I’m alive because of the stars and stripes
I’m alive because never did I once wish I was somewhere else
I was confident that this country was great 
So why are we fighting each other
What happened to this country?
What happened to making a difference together?
Not against each other
I want this country to become great again
I want people in this country to feel like they can go to sleep safe at night
I want this country to take off with everyone aboard
I want this country to feel successful again
But I’m 16 years old