We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

To Be American

from MAGNIFICENT BIRD by Gabriel Kahane

/
  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    12" vinyl with cover art by legendary book designer John Gall, insert with complete lyrics & credits. Pre-orders include a limited edition signed print while supplies last.

    Includes unlimited streaming of MAGNIFICENT BIRD via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $19 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a sleek digipak with original artwork by celebrated designer John Gall, along with complete lyrics and credits.

    Includes unlimited streaming of MAGNIFICENT BIRD via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $13 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $1 USD  or more

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 15 Gabriel Kahane releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Poem for Vows, MAGNIFICENT BIRD, To Be American (oxblood glow edition), emergency shelter intake form, Book of Travelers, Little Love (ruined lace edition), Works on Paper: Music for Solo Piano, Crane Palimpsest EP, and 7 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $46.20 USD or more (30% OFF)

     

lyrics

To be American again,
Teenaged and certain of innocence:
Six lanes of Western caravan
Burn fuel to speed up the renaissance.

Before the trench coats and the roped off rooms,
The shell-shocked mothers and the TV crews,

Foreclosing a grand old dream—
Black motorcade running on empty,
Big box and a Ponzi scheme,
Drain everything, land of the plenty.

In high school I sang in the choir
With all the Mormons from Rohnert Park.
Now all their houses are on fire;
Strange glow of oxblood in the dark.

I think we all meant well, or so I thought,
That season, privilege was a parking spot.

Foreclosing a grand old dream—
Black motorcade running on empty,
Big box and a Ponzi scheme,
Drain everything, land of the plenty.

If Reconstruction and the War
Seemed distant back in eleventh grade,
How quaint our simple lives before
Seem now in face of the coming days.

Foreclosing a grand old dream—
Black motorcade running on empty,
Big box and a Ponzi scheme,
Drain everything, land of the plenty.

Our furniture’s on the street;
In every church last rites are spoken.
One criminal’s soft defeat
Can’t change the fact that we’re broken.

credits

from MAGNIFICENT BIRD, released March 25, 2022
Andrew Bird - violin
Gabriel Kahane - piano, vocals
Paul Kowert - double-bass
Ted Poor - percussion
Caroline Shaw - background vocals, violin
Chris Thile - mandolin

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Gabriel Kahane Portland, Oregon

Gabriel Kahane is eating chocolate bread.

shows

contact / help

Contact Gabriel Kahane

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Gabriel Kahane, you may also like: