It was a creed written into the founding documents
That declared the destiny of a nation, yes we can
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists
As they blazed a trail toward freedom, yes we can
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out
From distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward
Against an unforgiving wilderness, yes we can
It was the call of workers who organized
Women who reached for the ballots
A President who chose the moon as our new frontier
And a King who took us to the mountaintop
And pointed the way to the Promised Land
Yes we can to justice and equality
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity
Yes we can heal this nation
Yes we can repair this world
Yes we can
We know the battle ahead will be long
But always remember that no matter
What obstacles stand in our way
Nothing can stand in the way of the power
Of millions of voices calling for change
(We want change)
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics
They will only grow louder and more dissonant
We've been asked to pause for a reality check
We've been warned against offering
The people of this nation false hope
But in the unlikely story that is America
There has never been anything false about hope
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes
To a crumbling school in Dillon are the same
As the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA
We will remember that there is something happening in America
That we are not as divided as our politics suggests
That we are one people, we are one nation
And together, we will begin the next great chapter
In the American story with three words that will ring
From coast to coast, from sea to shining sea, yes we can