The Hyphen Songtext
von John Wayne

The Hyphen, Webster′s Dictionary defines
Is a symbol used to divide a compound word or a single word
So it seems to me that when a man calls himself
An "Afro-American," a "Mexican-American," "Italian-American"
An "Irish-American," "Jewish-American"
What he's saying is, "I′m a divided American"
Well, we all came from other places
Different creeds, different races
To form a nation... to become as one
Yet look at the harm a line has done
A simple little line, and yet
As divisive as a line can get
A crooked cross the Nazis flew
And the Russian hammer and sickle too
Time bombs in the lives of man
But none of these could ever fan
The flames of hatred faster than
The Hyphen


The Russian hammer built a wall
That locks men's hearts from freedom's call
A crooked cross flew overhead
Above twenty million tragic dead
Among them men from this great nation
Who died for freedom′s preservation
A hyphen is a line that′s small
It can be a bridge or be a wall
A bridge can save you lots of time
A wall you always have to climb
The road to liberty lies true
The Hyphen's use is up to you

Used as a bridge, it can span
All the differences of man
Being free in mind and soul
Should be our most important goal
If you use The Hyphen as a wall
You′ll make your life mean... and small
An American is a special breed
Whose people came to her in need
They came to her that they might find
A world where they'd have peace of mind
Where men are equal... and something more
Stand taller than they stood before
So you be wise in your decision
And that little line won′t cause division
Let's join hands with one another
For in this land, each man′s your brother
United we stand... divided we fall
We're Americans... and that says it all