I've felt the heat   In the city of Angels   Dust up on high   And the worse for wear   I've seen the lights   Going down on sunset   Madmen running loose   There's murder in the air   So this is America      Love colder than death   Working the street   Love doesn't come cheap   So I learn how to steal   Religion for sale   Buy my way into heaven   Sell my soul for a truck   It's never worth a great deal   So this is America      I remember her smile and her virgin heart   I remember her tears tearing me apart    I remember my hands helpless and tied   As they led her away I remember I cried      I've put my life   In the hands of a scream   Small talked and less   With legends to be   But I carried a torch   For the child forbidden   And when the heat closed in   They crucified me   So this is America      Dreams don't come easy   Without any sleep   Laid wide eyed and weary   On this damned bed of nails   I hit the freeway   And step on the speed   Head for the desert   When madness prevails   So this is America      God bless you America   God bless you America   God bless you America   God bless you    America