American Dream

Nobody knows me,
no, not the real me.
It hurts me to say it, but I hold on now
to an American dream,
to my American dream,
for as long as I can,
as long as I can.
(Chorus) Grasp as I can the heart,
the heart of me,
I dream for the American dream.
You don’t care ’cause it’s not you, but I believe in me,
And only I can bring back the true me.
No pains for you at all.
No pains for you at all.
Yeah, that’s right. I believe in only me.
(Chorus)
Don’t worry about what people say about me, dear.
I can stand now,
Stand now, on the American dream
(Chorus)

— Andrea Haller, Lawrence High School junior

A Mother’s Dream

I want for her to grow up
In a world of peace and love.
No heartaches would she know,
Only love from God above.
This is my dream for her,
My one wish.

I want for her to grow up
With that perfect man she’s met.
He, being her Romeo,
And, she, his Juliet.
This is my dream for her,
My one wish.

I want for her to grow up
And know the joys of motherhood,
Loving her kids heart-deep,
More then she thought she could.
This is my dream for her,
My one wish.

Please, Lord, let her grow up.
Don’t steal her life away.
Help steal her life away.
Help her to fight this cancer,
For she’s just a child at play.

— Ellie Lloyd, Lawrence High School senior

Cracked Dream-Pot

We’re in a pot,
And it’s melting down.
We’re all sick
Of runnin’ round.
The dream is dead,
But I’m havin’ fun.
We find it dumb.
We find it dumb.
Our soul is ripped,
But we’re still alive,
Standin’ still,
Waiting to arrive.
We’ll open up,
Let it all out.
Then we’ll come in,
And transform this dream.
We found it dumb.
We found it dumb.

— Jonathan Gittins, Lawrence High senior

American Dreams

What’s it to me,
To see people living under a bridge
Wanting, hoping,
To leave that place, leave where they’ve lived their lives,
Freed of the pain?
Oh, the American Dream.
CHORUS
I wanna fly.
I wanna see the world right through your eyes.
I wanna live,
Live in my hometown, be able to give,
To give the gift
Of the American Dream.

The war crawls on,
Our people dying, but dying so strong.
Their fight’s for us,
Transforming to sad ghosts to protect us.
What does it mean?
Oh, the American Dream.

CHORUS

— Katy McCabe, Lawrence High School senior

Yesterday-Dreams

Yesterday has come and gone,
But our flag still waves proudly.
Thought war would be over now,
But the rage is ever-growing,
Ever-changing as it goes.

Yesterday, yesterday is gone.
And time keeps slipping on.
Raise your glass high.
Here’s to yesterday.

We held resplendent dreams
When we were younger
And thought we were on
Top of the world,
But beatin’ time
Is a losing’ fight.

Yesterday, yesterday is gone.
And time keeps slipping on.
Raise your glass high.
Here’s to yesterday.

Time-don’t let it slip away,
And when I stand on
These legs before you,
I will tell what
All this time is for.

Yesterday, yesterday is gone,
And time keeps slipping on.
Raise your glass high.
Here’s to yesterday.

— Lesley Belt, Lawrence High School senior

Accomplishing the Impossible

Mamma sat me down one day
And asked me what I wanted to be.
I smiled and told her,
“I’ll follow my dreams.”

Go to college,
Learn something practical,
Not the way for me …
I have a passion.
That’s what will make the path, you’ll see.

You can accomplish
The impossible,
Pave your own road.
Play your own role.

Life’s what you make of it,
Go on; don’t be shy.
Can only stop yourself
By not believing you.

You can accomplish
The impossible,
Pave your own road.
Play your own role.

You can accomplish
The impossible,
Pave your own road.
Play your own role.

— Rachael Beaumont, Lawrence High junior

Second Chances

If only dreams and wishes
Became reality.
Yet how can a mere mortal
Ever hope to get it right?
So many open windows
I’ve slammed down on striving fingers.

So many chances pass me by.
How will I ever fly?
Maybe I’ll get it right this time.
Thank God for second changes.

If only,
If only I were perfect,
And people understood,
But life is such a myriad
Of mystery and magic.
I cannot hope for much,
Just tightly grasp my fleeting dreams.

So many chances pass me by.
How will I every fly?
Maybe I’ll get it right this time.
Thank God for second chances.

Maybe I’ll get it right this time.
Oh, I think I’m getting it right this time.

— Rebecca Siahaan, Lawrence High junior

My Dream

My dream is so high and far and too hard to get.
I can’t wait to leave this place,
To fly and catch my dream and be free,
Lift up my soul and brain.

Every time I try, I fall down deep under.
I cry, I bleed, but it’s all worth it.
Every time, I feel sad sorrow.
It’s just the way it is, life.

I’m not always hiding,
Hiding away from my fear.
Summon me, and let me go.
Summon me, and let me go.

Every time I try, I fall down deep under
I cry, I bleed, but sometimes I win.

— Umar Firman, Lawrence High School senior

American Dreamers

Everyone dreams,
Dreams of wealth, fame and fortune.
Underneath it all,
There’s something,
That makes life complete,
Something anyone can fulfill,
Without success in those goals.
Continuously searching,
For the American Dream…
All we need,
Love, Peace and happiness,
Which will make,
Not only America,
But the whole world,
A perfect place to live.
Continuously searching,
For the American Dream …
If dreamers could feel pride,
Have the self-esteem and confidence,
Of what it truly means,
To be an American,
We could all have the honor,
Honor of reaching the American Dream.
Dreamers of America,
Imagine no laws,
Living life freely,
Reaching the American Dream.
Dreamers like you and me,
Make the difference.
Reaching the American Dream?
What a wonderful day …

— Melanie Bolden, Lawrence High junior

Future

Nights turn to cold,
Days turn to dusk.
What has come for us,
For the future bright like the stars,
Shining pieces of my heart,
Making everyday of my life seem special.
Tomorrow is what I survive for.
The future is what I hold,
For today is where it begins.
Live for today,
Hope for tomorrow,
Treating every day like there won’t be another.
Dreams are what hold the future,
Never knowing how it will begin,
Being challenged with when it will end.
For the future, bright like the stars,
Shining pieces of my heart,
Make everyday of my life seem special.

— Lauren Miller, Lawrence High junior

American Dreams

(Chorus)
Everyone has dreams,
Should have dreams.
Here in America, we all have dreams,

Dreams to be a superstar,
Dreams to own that fancy car,
Always taking for granted
What the important things are.
We hunger for that promotion,
How we can rise to the top.
I wish all of these dark dreams would stop,
Stop corrupting our families,
Entangling our greedy minds.

We are all blind. (repeat)

Did you stop to kiss your child today,
Or thank God for your life today?
When will our dreams transform us?
When will we stir, stir to the truth,
To know our loved ones, not our wealth.

(Chorus)

American Dreams (repeat)
When will they morph into something more?
Dreams that America should stand for? (repeat)

— Haylie Shawbaker, Lawrence High junior

American Dreams

I live in a blue moon world
In an icy black universe
Where everything changes,
And nothing is dependable.
Except once in a blue moon,
And the moons are gone.

Where have the moons fled? I wonder
Have they gone to Mars? Or have we exploded them,
In an attempt to rid the universe, “our” universe of unfriendly life forms.
People laugh, say no no, it’s just the smog obscuring the light side of the moon,
That’s all.

I live in a blue moon world
In an icy black universe
Where everything changes,
And nothing is dependable.
Except once in a blue moon,
And the moons are gone.

— Molly Krishtalka, Free State High School Sophomore

Love Dreamin’

Today I found that special one.
We met in the bright, shiny sun.
He made everything else not matter,
But we knew we were meant to be.

Maybe this was not fake, but fate.
Our lifetime was ahead.
Nothing else felt better than this nor ever could.
My American dream had come true at last.
And now we’re going to get married.
(Chorus X 2)
You put that ring on my hand.
So happy that you came, so happy that you came.
You put that ring on my finger.
How great are we. How great we are.
How great are we. How great we are.

— Teal Mareska, Lawrence High junior

American Dreams

Whenever I dream,
The strangest things happen.
I remember things never before, and
They seem so real
They seem so real.

Unable to fall asleep,
I go downstairs, looking for a cookie,
But we don’t have any.

Whenever I dream,
The strangest things happen.
I remember things never before, and
They seem so real.
They seem so real.

— Chris Orlando, Lawrence High junior

That’s Life

As the hours passed,
I saw in her eyes
Dreams of freedom from abusive life.
Her father’s rage ripped her to shreds,
But, at only 10,
She began resistance with all her might.

(Chorus)
No more lying, no more shame.
She’ll be free, free for life
From all his abuse and pain.

She protected herself
As he came down the hall.
She leaned against the wall
And fell to her knees,
Begging him, “Please.”
He had slapped her around way too much.

(Chorus)

Leaving her defenseless body to lie,
Her dreams of freedom came true that very night.
The cops came and tore him off
Giving her the elusive freedom.

Finally, (chorus)

— Erin Kramer, Lawrence High junior

Dream Reachable Dreams

I’ve always dreamt of being a hero,
With no worries, no regrets,
That being a hero
Isn’t always what it seems.

Chorus:
I’ve dreamt dreams,
And I’ve set goals,
But most of them
Are out, out of my reach.
So, set goals that
You can achieve,
And dream dreams,
That can come true.
You may want to help everyone,
But you have got to start with yourself.
Improve your attitude,
And your dreams,
They’ll come true.
Just believe, believe in yourself:
(Chorus)
So, simplify your life,
And help whomever you can.
And if you don’t succeed at first,
Then try, try again,
And dream reachable dreams.

(Chorus)
And dream reachable dreams.

— Cynthia O’Kelly, Lawrence High senior

Dreamless Fantasy

Countless days and nights, hoping for that day,
My heart flutters like life is nothing more than failure.
The life I wanted is within my pitiful hands,
Linger I do, for that dream.

(Chorus)
My desire fades, oh, why?
It’s constantly chasing after empty hopes to store my happiness,
Wishing and praying.
Oh, yeah, I could ascend Mount Everest … yeah.
I could monopolize industry.
I’m always hoping.

I’m wasting time, in despair of the present,
Clinging to soft, impossible dreams … oh yeah,
Searching from one dream to another is like mining gold.

— Octavia Chandra

Dreams

Wind strikes the tattered windowpanes,
Gripping and freezing your blood.
Leaving you simply broken,
Is the chaos life has become.

Troubles ravage the thinker.
They harvest your guilt-stricken head.
Horrors stand close in the future,
Pilling on the paths you’ve set.

I’m the blood that hits the concrete
When the world passes you by,

CHORUS
And I’m calling you, Dreamer.
Together we’ll find a home,
Where the tree leaves don’t just fall.
They’ll color this nation golden …

After dancing the line of beautiful,
You’ll scramble into reality,
Leaving life to gnaw at your heels.
You’ll stand tangled in sickening stares.

But I’m yearning to sparkle,
Brilliant eyes of the future,

CHORUS

— Meghan Shanks, Lawrence High junior

American Dream

One day I’ll be free
One day you’ll see the real me
But I’m holding back
Planning my attack
One day I’ll be free
Your words won’t be affecting me

It shouldn’t surprise you when you find out
how much I despise you
One day I’ll be free
These drugs won’t be affecting me
I’ll finally have the key

Don’t be surprised when I fall apart
All you ever did was break my heart
One day I’ll be free
I’ll become numb to all the things you’ve ever are to me

One day I’ll be fee
One day you’ll see the real me
Then you’ll understand
How much I can do with or without you

— Emily Willis, Lawrence High junior

American Dream

Days to dust,
Nights to nothing,
What is to come to us?

Dream, dreaming of what tomorrow will bring,
Takes me away, away into another world of thought.
Looking at the past,
Dreaming of the future,
Unenlightened about what’s to come.

(Chorus)
Someday, I will shimmer like stars,
No cracking my heart into pieces,
Making every day as stellar as birth.

Live for today,
Hope for tomorrow,
Dream for the future,
Never knowing how it will begin,
Yet, questioning when it will end.

(Chorus)

Someday, I will shimmer like stars,
No cracking my heart into pieces,
Making every day as stellar as birth.

— Lacey Burnett, Lawrence High School junior

Running

Where can I run,
Run far away from here,
To live my life as it should be lived,
Living close to the ocean,
So, close to the ocean bay,
Running far, far away from here?

Having the family I want,
And being happy, always,
With nothing in my way, stopping me.

With the heavens high above me,
Nothing shall stop me.
Where will my life go and lead me,
Running far, far away from here?

(Chorus)

Having the perfect future,
Smiling every day,
Nothing can stop me in my tracks of life.

A family I look forward to,
A house full of love.
Wherever that love should be.
I will never give up,
Running far, far away from here.

(Chorus)

— Candice Coffman, Lawrence High junior

Believe

Dream about the day to come
When our hearts will unite as one.
Every man, woman, sister and brother
Will learn how to live together.

Imagine peace and happiness
Inspired by love and truth.
Believe in time and remembrance.
Believe in love for youth.

Dream about the time so near
When we can live here without fear.
Every American of every color
Will be united, sisters and brothers.

Imagine peace and happiness
Inspired by love and truth.
Believe in time and remembrance.
Believe in love for youth.

As American children, we will succeed
Fulfilling our American dream.
Let every nation hear us sing.
Let the bells ring out.
Let freedom ring.

Imagine peace and happiness.
Believe in love for youth.
Believe in love.
Believe.

— Nicole Jones, Lawrence High School junior