In Manzanar		
		Louie Ludwig   zzi music


How could such a wrong, wrong place have such a beautiful name?


Credits:
Accordion: Bart Ramsey, Fiddle: Gina Forsyth, Percussion: Rosie Rosato


We had farms in the big valley,
Houses above the sea, 
Lots of stores downtown
Then the men put the posters up
Next week, they brought those trucks
The people gathered 'round.
It's not like we had a choice.
It's not like we had a voice
Or a way to turn those trucks around.

In Manzanar
We could see the stars
We knew each one by name.
In Manzanar
Above the lights and wires,
The sky looked just the same
As it had before
Long before
We first saw Manzanar

They put us up in the army shacks
The rest we made from scratch
Built stores and farms and banks.
We did the jobs that we used to do,
Fed ourselves and the locals, too
Never heard a word of thanks.


We sent our sons to fight
For other peoples' rights.
Gold stars hung up in the camp.

In Manzanar
We could see so far
In the desert air
In Manzanar
We gave up ours
For a dream we couldn't share
Not there
It wasn't there
There in Manzanar.

The day came, the war was done
The rising sun
Had set in one last fire.
They said we were free to go
Back to our farms and homes
They tore down all the wire
But all our stores were gone
Strange men worked our farms
They took whatever they desired.

In Manzanar
Not a thing was ours
But what we kept inside
In Manzanar
They couldn't break our hearts
Or take away our pride
In who we are
We're still who we are
In spite of Manzanar.