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If The Gates Hadn't Opened (solo guitar mix)

from The Monthly Mini Series by Diana & the Dishes

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about

Written in response to the Families Belong Together marches, summer 2018.

lyrics

How did you get here?
By land or by sea?
By want or need or serendipity?
How did you get here?
What gave you the gall
to steal land and people and not care at all?

But you’re here and so am I
And no one can tell us the reasons why
Cause we are not special or holy or high
And I don’t know where we’d be
If the gates hadn’t opened for you and me.

How did we get here?
Locks on the doors
What’s mine is mine
There ain’t enough for yours.
How did we get here?
Deaf dumb and blind
Pretending those people aren’t humankind.

But I’m here and so are you
And it’s plain and simple what we oughta do
Cause we were just lucky
And they are just new
And I don’t know where we’d be
If the gates hadn’t opened for you and me.

How did I get here?
On the back of a dream
On dirt and despair and ocean liner steam
How did I get here?
With a helping hand
From strangers and saviors who understand

That we’re here and so are they
And where there’s a will
There’s always a way
Cause once we were all just where they are today
On our knees at the Golden Door
Built on labor and land that was never paid for
Tell me where would we be
O Land of the Free
If the gates hadn’t opened for you and me?

credits

from The Monthly Mini Series, released March 1, 2019
Recorded and produced by Diana Lawrence

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Diana & the Dishes Chicago, Illinois

Garnering comparisons to Ben Folds and Fiona Apple, as well as the Beatles and the Gershwins, Chicago band DIANA & THE DISHES presents a unique, high-energy recipe of pop, soul, tight musicianship, sharp songwriting, and contagious fun. Their debut album, “Take A Picture,” was listed in Music Connection Magazine’s Hot 100 for 2011. ... more

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