Paradigm Lyrics - Knuckledown - Ani Difranco

I was born to two immigrants 

Who knew why they were here 

They were happy to pay taxes 

For the schools and roads 

Happy to be here 

They took it seriously 

Just like a job of citizenry 

My mother went campaigning door to door 

And holding to her hand was me 

Cause I was just a girl in a room full of women 

Licking stamps and laughing 

I remember the feeling of community blooming 

Of democracy happening 

But even though my parents were cool 

I had to teach myself to see 

All that stuff that got lost 

On its way to church 

All that stuff that got lost 

On its way to school 

All that stuff that got lost 

On its way to the house of my family 

But something was not lost on me 

Teach myself to see each of us 

Through the limbs of forgiveness 

Like we're stuck with each other, god forbid 

Teach myself to smile 

And stop and talk to whole other color kids 

Teach myself to be new in an instant like the truth 

Is accessible at any time 

Teach myself its never ever one or the other 

It's a paradox in every paradigm 

Overall 

In my chest pocket was my house key 

And my quarter to buy lunch 

And on that big yellow bus 

With my sign that said sucker 

And I was off to the days suckering punch 

But there are so many artists 

Who would fall into magnet school 

And I remember thinking that the long hair lady 

Who called herself a poet was particularly cool 

Someone stood up and gestured to a forest of options 

And I found my path to joy through those trees 

But I had to teach myself to keep coming back 

To the view from a field from right in the middle of my peace