Beyond the horizon
America waited
A land of forests and mighty rivers
A land of prairies and towering mountains
An untamed land
America waited
The first of Europe's peoples
Brave enough to sail across endless seas
for new freedoms
Strong enough to carve out new homes from
the wilderness
Determined enough to build new lives on
new frontiers of land
Beyond the horizon.
They reached, too, for new frontiers of the
mind.
They wrote:
"We hold these truths . . . that all men
are created equal . . .
They are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights . . .
Life . . . Liberty . . . Pursuit of Happiness. "
And they fought and died to make safe that
new frontier of mind that new concept
of human dignity
For their right to march on
Beyond the horizon.
With their freedom won
They pushed westward, saying:
"When you see the smoke of your neighbor's
chimney, it's time to move on."
Yes, on into the setting sun
In prairie schooners 'cross the plains
On sailing ships 'round the Horn
On to new frontiers of land
Beyond the horizon.
But when they reached the Pacific, some
cried:
"Now no new land to find.
No more new horizons."
Yet, in others' minds sprang still newer
frontiers
The harvester to cut prairie grain
The steamboat to ply the rivers
Power looms to weave cloth for clothes
New frontiers of test tube and machine of
technology
And Americans found new strength
Beyond the horizon.
From Europe's old, tired nations
Came others new pioneers
And read on Liberty's Statue
"Give me your tired, your poor, your
huddled
masses yearning to
breathe free....
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
And in the hearts of new frontiersmen
Was kindled the spark of freedom of the
chance to build
Beyond the horizon.
And America grew strong
Outstripped in material wealth the whole of
the Old World.
Skyscrapers reached high into the clouds
Machines echoed the beat of ocean waves
Power of rushing rivers and glittering oil
was harnessed to do her people's
bidding.
New drugs saved lives
New paring knives sold for a dime each
New opportunity to move ahead
For a people who looked
Beyond the horizon.
But freedom was never cheap never sure
And Americans sweated and fought and died
as its price.
In muddy trenches of the Argonne
In steeping jungles of the Philippines
They sweated and fought and died
To ensure their nation's right the right of
their children yet unborn
To look and to travel as free men
Beyond the horizon.
Yet today some cry:
"There are no new frontiers now."
"We've expanded to the limit.'
"Let's divide everything not try to multiply it."
"Let the Government plan blueprint organize everything."
While mourning those who died for freedom,
they shout:
"Let others tell us what to do."
"There are no new horizons now."
Have they forgotten so soon?
Will we trade our success for failure?
Will we sell our birthrights
Of opportunity of human dignity
For a mess of pottage
A promise of Utopia from foreign lands?
A twisted phrase like "common man"?
A ball and chain "gilt-edged security"?
Or will we have a new birth of freedom
Will we keep high the torch for the tired,
the poor, the huddled masses yearning
to breathe free.
Will we know that our frontiers of mind and
heart are endless
That our stars freedom, opportunity,
faith are ever constant
That our sun, the future unlimited, lies
Beyond the horizon.
