Welcome to My America
music and lyrics by Sarah Popejoy (c) 2022
Welcome to my America
10 shot down in Buffalo
Welcome to my America
Another headline
Another violent crime
Manifesto written in blood
Peacemakers say it will all be okay
While politicians are chewing the cud
In my America
Welcome to my America
Kids west of(a) San Antone
Welcome to my America
Another mother cries
Over a child that has died
Amazing Grace is softly sung
Stand for the flag
While we take off our hats
Thanking God for the freedom we’ve won
In my America
Bridge
Watch the news
Shake our heads
Forgetting names read
Welcome to my America
Before turning the gun he killed 4
Welcome to my America
In the hospital where I was born
A Parade moves slow
July 4th near Chicago
Bullets blaze like a fire on the loose
A familiar refrain, “Things need to change”
The dead did not get to choose
In my America
Welcome to my America
Welcome to my America
In my America
Just out, my latest single release called “Welcome to My America”. The song speaks to the gun violence that has plagued our country. I began writing this song when the shooting on the campus of the very hospital where I was born. I’ve been in the Natalie Medical Center many times for yearly mammograms. And I admit I’ve felt some shame that it took it hitting home to actually write a song about this, which is my way of creating action. I may not be a politician, but I am a songwriter. I encourage you to use your personal talents toward gun violence. Social changes happen through small simple actions like refusing to stand up on a bus like Rosa Parks. Please leave a comment here and/or on Youtube. Engagement makes it possible for others to see this video as well. Thank you for watching this video. – Sarah
Influenced lyrically by songwriters like Ani Difranco and Dar Williams, Sarah Popejoy’s folk introspection mixed with activism are the key ingredients that fuel her writing. At the same time, Sarah’s sound gravitates to the dirty, country blues akin to Lucinda Williams. Born into a musical family her father Brad Popejoy played bass guitar for a band called Front Page News released on Dial Records, while her Grandmother, Gwen Popejoy Bonnell, was part of a successful singing trio that toured Oklahoma in her younger years. With two studio albums recorded in Nashville under her belt, Sarah is no stranger to recording and producing. Her extensive touring credits include performances at Cambridge’s Club Passim’s Cutting Edge of the Campfire, Blue Bird’s Sunday Showcases, and opening for Debbie Campbell at her Summer’s Fifth night in front of a crowd of over 10,000 people. She has made appearances on BBC News, American Songwriter Magazine as a lyric contest honorable mention winner, her song "Father's Love for His Son" was talked about in Dar Williams latest book Writing a Song that Matters. Moving back home to Tulsa, what Rolling Stone calls the next Austin, Sarah is producing her 3rd studio album called “The Oklahoma Storyteller”, set to release at the beginning of 2024.