Chris Iijima - Asian Song Lyrics
Mr. Wu works in the laundry, and his wife sews in the shopAnd each and every wrinkle tells a taleA survivor of the hard times, and a fighter all his lifeBut the twinkle in his eye has never failedHe puts a kettle on the table and he leans against the wallHe says excuse my English, but his words speak for us allBecause these hands have washed the clothesThese hands have served the food, heaven knowsMy neck has felt the mob’s rope and it’s been behind barbed wireMy arms have laid down railroad trackMy back has been for hireAnd these hands have fought injusticeAnd this soul is still on fireMmm, but I’m still hereAnd I’m going strongAnd I’m getting tire of proving I belongNow Mrs. Gomez works the night shift in the pediatric wardBy day she cooks the meals for her ownNew in the big city, she has never given upAnd does her best to give her kids a homeThere’s Mrs. Kim, who sells the produce on the corner of the squareThe people pass by quickly, but we all know she’s thereAnd so the story goes on to another generationA page, another chapter being turnedTomorrow is the struggle we face in anticipationAnd yesterday our lessons we have learnedJohnny, he’s a young boy who pumps gas to pay for schoolHis class is being cut back one by oneNow his father marched in Europe and John’s mother was in campAnd each shows off the battle scars they’ve wonSome nights you hear raised voices that come drifting through the wallBut each knows deep inside them that what binds them binds us allBecause our hands have washed the clothesYou know our hands have served the food, heaven knowsAnd our neck has felt the mob’s rope and it’s been behind barbed wireOur arms have laid down railroad trackOur back has been for hireAnd these hands will fight injusticeAnd our soul is still on fireMmm, but we’re still hereAnd we’re going strongAnd we’re getting tired of proving we belong (x 6)
