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A Nation of One
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Mastered. Yes!
pop rock acoustic music folk singersongwriter irish
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Sean Kane writes acoustic folk rock songs, inspired by the Irish and American traditional sound, about people on the borders of nationality, identity, and cultu
Sean Kane writes acoustic folk rock songs, inspired by the Irish and American traditional sound, about people on the borders of nationality, identity, and culture. People caught between two places, physically and emotionally: immigrants, expatriates, and outsiders of every profession and persuasion.
Song Info
Genre
Acoustic • Acoustic Rock
Charts
#16,388 today Peak #20
#3,040 in subgenre Peak #3
Author
Sean Kane
Rights
2004
Uploaded
December 18, 2005
Track Files
MP3
MP3 3.9 MB • 128 kbps • 4:15
Story behind the song
It's called A Nation of One (or maybe No Common Trade.) I wrote it by combining some personal experiences and feelings with some "found dialog" on the 'net regarding the Global Nomad/Third Culture Kid experience.
Lyrics
Although accustomed as he was to the freedom of traveling Over the ocean, miles in the air Across the horizon, between home and home Jesse felt neither here nor there. He had a home for the summer and a home for the school year And more than an ocean divided the two Jesse made a success at separating himself Never thinking that he'd want to choose Chorus: Between the shores From which his two parents came Jess grew up a trickster, he took everything lightly And he chuckled his way through secondary school It was his way of keeping the world at arm's distance Underneath he was guarded, confused Two places at once, Jesse couldn't see how to be Stuck on the outside, A nation of one Two many voices, the illusion of choices Jesse took off to wander around Chorus: And Jesse swore He'd take no common trade Jesse succeeded with customs and creeds He'd take on or shed friends like a coat that he wore He'd blend in so well, that friends couldn't tell Until Jesse didn't live there anymore But love caught Jesse the way that it often does He staggered himself, when he bought her a ring She loved him sincerely bought told him forget about That international thing Chorus: But Jesse'd sworn He'd take no common trade They moved to Manhattan to be close to the world On the eve of September 2001 A trade high up amidst steel, glass, and space It helped Jesse to feel settled down Jesse joked he could see from the top of the tower The coast of that country that beckoned him home Limbo he recognized then as his legacy Suspended in air between homes What does it take for a man to feel settled down Does self-understanding bring freedom and peace Does the moment of death ensure an epiphany Do only the lucky gain insight before release Jesse doesn't live here anymore
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