the american dream

I used to always pinch my nose
20 times before I sleep
'Cause mom said it would make me look
Just like all the girls on the screen
But 20 years has passed
And I still look the same

Had an accent as a kid
Took five years to get rid of it
Take it as a compliment when they think I'm American
Oh, land of the free
Just not for me

Don't ask me where I'm from
I don't know what to say
'Cause the place where I grew up thinks I have changed
I can barely talk to mom
Use English every day
But the people here still laugh at my real name
So, where can I go
If I'll always be a stranger in my home?

And I still think of seventh grade
Grandma packed my lunch that day
Friends made fun of how it smelled
I laughed along and threw it away
And, still, to this day
I miss how it tastes

Don't ask me where I'm from
I don't know what to say
'Cause the place where I grew up thinks I have changed
I can barely talk to mom
Use English every day
But the people here still laugh at my real name
So, where can I go
If I'll always be a stranger in my home?

So, I'm pretty for an Asian
So, I'm smart, but that's a given
I'm not special, I'm just different
You're not racist, just a question
Must be nice to be included
Not because you are the token
I'm not special, I'm just different
I'm just different

Don't ask me where I'm from
I don't know what to say
'Cause the place where I grew up thinks I have changed
(Thinks I have changed, yeah)
I can barely talk to mom
Use English every day (oh, every day)
But the people here still laugh at my real name
So, where can I go?
'Cause I never seem to be enough for both

So, where can I go
If I'll always be a stranger in my home?