Barack Obama Inauguration Speech Page #5

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who laid the train tracks,

raised the bridges,

picked the cotton and the lettuce,

built brick by brick

the glittering edifices

they would then keep clean

and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle;

praise song for the day.

Praise song

for every hand-lettered sign;

The figuring it out

at kitchen tables.

Some live

by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm,

or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love,

love beyond marital,

filial, national.

Love that casts

a widening pool of light.

Love with no need

to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle,

this winter air,

anything can be made,

any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim,

on the cusp

praise song for walking

forward in that light.

And now it's my privilege to introduce

the Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

to deliver "The Benediction."

God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears,

thou who has brought us

thus far along the way,

thou who has by thy might led us

into the light,

keep us forever

in the path, we pray,

lest our feet

stray from the places, our God,

where we met thee,

lest our hearts,

drunk with the wine of the world,

we forget thee.

Shadowed beneath thy hand

may we forever stand

true to thee, O God,

and true to our native land.

We truly give thanks

for the glorious experience

we've shared this day.

We pray now, O Lord,

for your blessing upon thy servant,

Barack Obama, the 44th president

of these United States,

his family and his administration.

He has come to this high office

at a low moment

in the national and,

indeed, the global fiscal climate.

But because we know you got

the whole world in your hand,

we pray for not only our nation,

but for the community of nations.

Our faith does not shrink,

though pressed

by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you're able

and you're willing to work through

faithful leadership

to restore stability,

mend our brokenness, heal our wounds

and deliver us

from the exploitation of the poor

or the least of these

and from favoritism

toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank you

for the empowering of thy servant,

our 44th president,

to inspire our nation to believe that,

yes, we can work together

to achieve a more perfect union.

And while we have sown the seeds

of greed the wind

of greed and corruption,

and even as we reap the whirlwind

of social and economic disruption,

we seek forgiveness

and we come in a spirit

of unity and solidarity

to commit our support

to our president

by our willingness

to make sacrifices,

to respect your creation,

to turn to each other

and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena

of human relations,

help us to make choices

on the side of love, not hate;

on the side of inclusion,

not exclusion;

tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountaintop,

help us to hold

on to the spirit of fellowship

and the oneness of our family.

Let us take that power back

to our homes,

our workplaces, our churches,

our temples, our mosques,

or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack,

First Lady Michelle.

Look over our little angelic

Sasha and Malia.

We go now

to walk together, children,

pledging that we won't get weary

in the difficult days ahead.

We know you will not leave us alone,

with your hands of power

and your heart of love.

Help us then, now, Lord,

to work for that day

when nation shall not lift up

sword against nation,

when tanks will be

beaten into tractors,

when every man and every woman

shall sit under his or her own vine

and fig tree

and none shall be afraid;

when justice will

roll down like waters

and righteousness

as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints

who from their labors rest,

and in the joy of a new beginning,

we ask you to help us

work for that day

when black will not be asked

to get back,

when brown can stick around

when yellow will be mellow

when the red man can get ahead, man

and when white

will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice

and love mercy say amen.

Amen!

- Say amen!

- Amen!

- ... and Amen!

- Amen!

An inspiring Benediction there

by the Reverend Joseph Lowery,

one of the greatest figures

of the Civil Rights movement.

As we appraoch the end

of this inaugural ceremony,

there will be the national anthem

and then...

President Obama and the First Lady

will depart the stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, please rise

for the singing of our national anthem

by the United States

Navy Sea Chanters Chorus.

Following the anthem,

please remain in place

while the presidential party

exits the platform.

Thank you very much.

Oh, say, can you see,

by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed

at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes

and bright stars,

thro' the perilous fight'

O'er the ramparts we watched,

were so gallantly streaming

And the rockets red glare,

the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night

that our flag was still there.

Oh, say, does that star-spangled

banner yet wave...

O'er the land of the free

and the home...

of the brave?

= [ BenJoji Team ] =

benji1000, Jojimoreau

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