Waking
Up American audio
Song
Lyrics by Jared Rehberg - Vietnam/USA
Waking
up American
I
see you on my TV
rushing
home from work on crowded streets
You've
got bills to pay
and
mouths to feed
I'm
sending you my prayer for another day
Without
me, without you
I'm
living in America with a brand new name
Without
you, without me
I'm
waking up American on a brand new day
and
I'm still the same
I
think of you as I share goodnight
The
answers to my questions wait by the light
What's
my name? I think heaven sent
Moments
of peace for all creation
My
country tis of thee
sweet
land of liberty
for
thee I sing, for thee I sing
I
want to run with ghosts
cross
empty fields
fish
on the delta with the past by my side
Sometimes
I wonder what might have been
Choking
on my destiny I found tears
Without
me, without you
I'm
living in America with a brand new name
Without
you, without me
I'm
waking up American on a brand new day
and
I'm still the same
I
see you on my TV
rushing
home from work on crowded streets |
| Jared Rehberg/Vu Tien Anh |
Given life
and love two times, once
by his biological mother and a
second time by his adoptive parents, Jared Rehberg has a lot that he is
thankful for and he shows that gratitude in acts of giving through his
music.
Jared is a
Vietnamese singer/songwriter/ artist. Born in Vietnam, he is
one of the 219 orphans who, in April 1975, when the communists were 12
miles from Saigon, were evacuated from An Lac Orphanage in "Operation
Baby Lift". Read about his story here.
His heart
is
one heart but it holds love for two very different
cultures, Asian and American. These two different cultures pump through
his heart as one thing: Asian American.
He is an
advocate for other transcultural adoptees and is instrumental
in bringing understanding between those within and without the Asian
community. He is especially active in the Asian adoption culture camps
where young children are struggling with big concepts like identity and
belonging.
He is a
bridge builder, a liason, his music being the bridge by which
he helps others to span the racial divide. In my mind's eye, I see him,
his guitar on his back, and a small child's hand in his, crossing over
that bridge built with the hopes and dreams in his music, with
compassion and with understanding. There are steep drops on either side
of that bridge. Sometimes vicious winds blast over it. It can be a
scary prospect to cross over. But it is true, and he is managing to
show others that it is true, that it is worth it to get to the other
side. |
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