Fences Between Our Yards

Verse 1

Down in South Carolina, March of twenty-six

Measles spreading quiet through the towns and neighborhoods

Some parents line their children up for every single shot

While others down the same block say they'd rather not

Same sidewalks, same school bells, same grocery store line

But the choices that they're making draw a different kind of line

Chorus

How'd we get so far apart

Living right next door?

Fences between our yards now

That were never there before

Politics and distrust, misinformation's pull

Neighbors on the same street

But the distance growing full

Verse 2

NPR went searching for the reasons and the why

Maria Godoy telling stories, letting every parent try

To explain the fears they carry, what keeps them up at night

Some say science is the answer, some say something isn't right

Six minutes on the radio, a Weekend Edition piece

Showing how a tiny virus won't let tensions find their peace

Chorus

How'd we get so far apart

Living right next door?

Fences between our yards now

That were never there before

Politics and distrust, misinformation's pull

Neighbors on the same street

But the distance growing full

Verse 3

It's not just about the needles or the vials on the shelf

It's about who do you listen to, how you protect yourself

The outbreak keeps on climbing while the arguments go round

And the kids caught in the middle never chose this battleground

In the Palmetto State the question hangs like humid Southern air

Can we find some common ground when common ground feels rare?

Bridge

We used to share our suppers

We used to share our days

Now we share a zip code

But we've gone our separate ways

Maybe if we sat together

On somebody's front porch

We could talk it over gently

Before the gap gets worse

Chorus

How'd we get so far apart

Living right next door?

Fences between our yards now

That were never there before

Politics and distrust, misinformation's pull

Neighbors on the same street

But the distance growing full

Inspired by real events. Names, details, and narrative may be fictionalized.