From the recording Limited-edition America at 250 – digital download
Looking ahead to the future and the generations yet to come.
Lyrics
[Title: The Next 250]
[Intro – Spoken]
Two hundred and fifty years is a long time.
Long enough to build.
Long enough to learn.
Long enough to make mistakes.
The question isn't where we've been.
The question is...
Where do we go from here?
[Verse 1]
Someday these roads won't belong to us,
They'll belong to children not yet grown.
They'll walk beneath these same old skies,
And call this country home.
They'll read the stories we leave behind,
The choices made along the way.
And they'll decide what kind of future
Rose from the seeds we planted today.
[Pre-Chorus]
Every generation borrows time,
And leaves something behind.
[Refrain]
The next two hundred fifty years,
Begin with what we do right now.
Every dream and every choice,
Becomes tomorrow somehow.
The next two hundred fifty years,
Will tell a brand-new story.
Written by hands we may never know,
Still reaching toward the morning.
[Verse 2]
Maybe they'll build things we've never seen,
Maybe they'll solve problems we could not.
Maybe they'll look back and wonder why
We worried over some things we fought.
Maybe they'll find better ways,
To care for one another.
Maybe they'll see beyond the lines,
And treat strangers like a brother.
[Pre-Chorus]
Every generation borrows time,
And leaves something behind.
[Refrain]
The next two hundred fifty years,
Begin with what we do right now.
Every dream and every choice,
Becomes tomorrow somehow.
The next two hundred fifty years,
Will tell a brand-new story.
Written by hands we may never know,
Still reaching toward the morning.
[Bridge]
We can't see beyond the horizon,
Or know what waits ahead.
But hope has always carried us,
Through every road we've tread.
The future isn't built in monuments,
Or promises alone.
It's built by ordinary people,
Giving their children something strong.
[Final Refrain]
The next two hundred fifty years,
Begin with what we do today.
Every act of kindness matters,
Every step along the way.
The next two hundred fifty years,
Will belong to those who follow.
And all we can do is leave them
A brighter tomorrow.
[Outro – Spoken]
The story continues.
Not because of what we've done.
But because of what comes next.
The next two hundred fifty years.