Ẃn de cmz w asc ǎrslvz,
ẃr cn w fînd lît in ɖs nvr-endñ śêd?
Ɖ los w cari,
a sì w mst wêd
W’v brevd ɖ beli v ɖ bīst
W’v lrnd ɖt qayt z’nt olwz pīs
N ɖ normz n nośnz
v ẃt jst z
z’nt olwz just-is
N yt ɖ dōn z ǎrz
bfr w ń it
Smhǎ w d it
Smhǎ w’v weɖrd n witnist
a neśn ɖt z’nt brocn
bt simpli unfiniśt
W ɖ s’xesrz v a cuntri n a tîm
ẃr a scini Blac grl
dsndd fṛm slevz n rezd bî a sngl muɖr
cn drīm v bcmñ prezidnt
onli t fînd hrslf rsîtñ fr wn
N yes w r far fṛm poliśt
far fṛm pristīn
bt ɖt dz’nt mīn w r
strîvñ t form a yńn ɖt z prfict
W r strîvñ t forj a yńn wɖ prṗs
T cmpoz a cuntri cmitd t ol culćrz,

culrz, caṛctrz n

cndiśnz v man

N so w lift ǎr gezz

nt t ẃt standz btwn s

bt ẃt standz bfr s
W cloz ɖ dvîd bcz w nǒ, t pt ǎr fyćr frst,
w mst frst pt ǎr difṛnsz asd
W le dǎn ǎr armz
so w cn rīć ǎt ǎr armz
t wn anɖr
W sīc harm t nn n harṃni fr ol
Let ɖ glob, f nʈñ els, se ɖs z tru:
Ɖt īvn az w grīvd, w grù
Ɖt īvn az w hrt, w hopt
Ɖt īvn az w tîrd, w traid
Ɖt w’l fr evr b taid tgɖr, victorịs
Nt bcz w wl nvr agn nǒ dfit
bt bcz w wl nvr agn sǒ dviźn
Scripćr tlz s t inviźn
ɖt evrwn śl sit undr ɖer ǒn vîn n figtrī
N nwn śl mc ɖm afreid
F w’r t liv p t ǎr ǒn tîm
ɖen vicṭri w’nt lî in ɖ bled
bt in ol v ɖ brijz w’v md
Ɖt z ɖ promis t gled
ɖ hil w clîm
f onli w der it
Bcz biyñ Americn

z mor ɖn a prîd w inherit,

it’s ɖ past w step intu
n hǎ w rper it
W’v sìn a fors ɖt wd śatr ǎr neśn
rɖr ɖn śer it
Wd dstrô ǎr cuntri

f it mnt dleyñ dmocṛsi

N ɖs ef̣t vri nirli s’xidd
Bt ẃl dmocṛsi cn b piriodicli dleid
it cn nvr b prṃnntli dfitd
In ɖs truʈ
in ɖs feʈ w trust
Fr ẃl w hv ǎr îz on ɖ fyćr
hisṭri hz its îz on s
Ɖs z ɖ ira v just rdmśn
W fird in its inspśn
W dd nt fīl priperd t b ɖ érz
v sć a teṛfayñ aur
bt wɖn it w faund ɖ pǎr
t oʈr a ny ćaptr
T ofr hop n laftr t ǎrslvz
So ẃl wns w asct,
hǎ cd w poṣbli privel ovr ctastṛfi?
Nǎ w asrt
Hǎ cd ctastṛfi poṣbli privel ovr s?
W wl nt marć bac t ẃt wz
bt muv t ẃt śl b
A cuntri ɖt z bruzd bt hol,
bnevlnt bt bold,
firs n fri
W wl nt b trnd arnd
or inṭruptd bî intiṃdeśn
bcz w nǒ ǎr inax́n n inrśa
wl b ɖ inheritns v ɖ nxt jeṇreśn
Ǎr blundrz bcm ɖer brdnz
Bt wn ʈñ z srtn:
F w mrj mrsi wɖ mît,
n mît wɖ rît,
ɖen luv bcmz ǎr leġsi
n ćenj ǎr ćildṛn’z brʈrît
So let s līv bhnd a cuntri
betr ɖn ɖ wn w wr left wɖ
Evri breʈ fṛm mî bronz-pǎndd ćst,
w wl rêz ɖs wūndd wrld

intu a wundṛs wn

W wl rîz fṛm ɖ gold-limd hilz v ɖ wst,
w wl rîz fṛm ɖ windswept norʈīst
ẃr ǎr fōrfaɖrz frst riylîzd reṿluśn
W wl rîz fṛm ɖ lec-rimd sitiz

v ɖ midwsṭn stets,

w wl rîz fṛm ɖ súnbect sǎʈ
W wl rībild, recnsîl, n rcuvr
n evri noun nc v ǎr neśn n
evri cornr cōld ǎr cuntri,
ǎr ppl dvrs n bytifl wl imrj,
batrd n bytifl
Ẃn de cmz w step ǎt v ɖ śêd,
aflem n un’fred
Đ ny dōn blūmz az w fri it
Fr ɖr z olwz lît,
f onli w’r brev inuf t si it
F onli w’r brev inuf t b it