Live Free or Die

​This is a poem I wrote in 2008 about the motto of the granite state (New Hampshire). I imagine all my poetry set to music, though I am rarely able to create tunes of my own. This one I imagine to the tune of Born In The USA by Bruce Springsteen.

​Wake up early on saturday
Ben comes over says he wants to play
In a patch of woods near downtown
They were there running around
Grow up soon where does the time go
Seems no one here ever does or talks slow
Take a walk under the colored leaves
I'm at home and it feels great to be free

Oh, live free or die!
You know, live free or die!
The choice, is live free or die!
All the people cry live free or die!

Climb Mount Manadnock me and my girl
We reach the top and we're on top of the world
We see Dublin lake and miles of trees
A perfect place to watch the birds and the bees
We take a seat to count the clouds
Before too long we're alone in the crowd
She falls asleep snuggled close to me
We've got each other and I know that we're free

Mmm, live free or die!
You know, live free or die!
The choice, is live free or die!
All the people cry live free or die!

Somewhere out there is a man
Maybe at an international conference in Switzerland
While waiting, the people talk about their homes
Then they ask him where he comes from
Japan's got its sushi; France has its tower
Australia's got its wildlife; China's a rising power
But there ain't no better land under the sky
I hail from the land of live free or die
In New Hampshire, the summers are hot and the winter's so cold
But really, they're not as bad as you've been told
We love our motorcycles and we love our towns
And we love to eat ice cream all year round
The people are friendly, but not too much
We're all different, 'cause we're an independent bunch
In the two thousand election we were a red state too
Then four years later, we turned to blue
In New Hampshire, the trees change color in the fall
And you'll never ever hear anyone say y'all
People come from all around to buy our nic nacs
You know we hate to have a broad-based tax
We the people are as tough as granite
You know we wouldn't live anywhere else on the planet
We'll always fight for our soveriegnty
I love this land and I'm livin' free

Oh, live free or die!
You know, live free or die!
The choice, is live free or die!
All the people cry live free or die!

Mmm, live free or die!
You know, live free or die!
The choice, is live free or die!
I hail from the state of live free or die!

Oh, live free or die!
You know, live free or die!
One way, to live free or die!
All the people cry live free or die!

Mmm, live free or die!
I was born, to live free or die!
The choice, is live free or die!
You can't take me - live free or die!

Oh, live free or die!
You know, live free or die!
The choice, is live free or die!
All the people cry live free or die!