1. Yankee Doodle crossed the ocean to find a place to be free.
At Plymouth Rock he met his victims among the virgin pine trees.

2. With their help in time he learned to till the virgin soil.
A peaceful century then passed with nothing yet despoiled.

3. Yankee Doodle built his empire with heart of purest gold,
and with the sweat of his women, and people of color bought and sold.

Yankee Doodle, the gods’ favorite, Yankee Doodle, freedom’s torch.
How can you free any man with blood on your own hands?

4. Yankee Doodle broke the royal despot’s ancient chains
and wrote a ringing call to life and liberty regained.

5. Then with blessings from beyond in ‘89 an end was dealt
to heroes’ tyranny over men and each man’s over himself.

6. Yankee Doodle thus set out, justice was his goal,
and walked from sea to shining sea to free the whole world’s soul.

7. Marching west he cut a swath through the red men’s lands.
Then south and north in holy fear forgot what brought us here.

Yankee Doodle, the gods’ favorite, Yankee Doodle, freedom’s torch.
How can you free any man with blood on your own hands?

8. Then Yankee Doodle made his peace, the eagle’s, not the dove’s,
and the black man paid a terrible price for Yankee’s brutal love.

9. Yankee Doodle twice went back to help his fathers’ pride
in those ceaseless feudal wars, Cain-baths, now planet-wide.

10. Oh Yankee Doodle, how you’ve loved your fresh, pure mother fair,
asphalted soil and dead-fish water, poisoned and blackened air.

11. One more war, my Yankee Doodle, you loaded your gun again:
My Lai, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh. You had to lose to win.

Yankee Doodle, the gods’ favorite, Yankee Doodle, freedom’s torch.
How can you free any man with blood on your own hands?