Never Buried Alive

[Intro] [Group Chant] Hey! Hey! Hold the line! Hey! Hey! Take back time! [Verse 1: Contralto] I kept your name in a rusted tin Under the sink where the storms rolled in Every promise had a crooked seam Every “trust me” tasted gasoline [Verse 2: Rap Vocal] I learned the price from a paper bag Two loose bills and a worn-out flag You built a throne from a borrowed chair Now count the cracks in the empty air I’m not your witness, I’m not your proof I’m the loose nail coming through the roof [Pre-Chorus: Duet] [Contralto] You can press that bruise, but it won’t stay down [Rap Vocal] You can lock that door, but we own this town [Both] When the low road ends and the truth comes through There’s a heart still beating underneath the blue [Chorus: Both] We rise, we rise, with the dirt on our hands No crown, no chain, no borrowed commands Say it loud till the walls split wide We were bent, never buried alive [Group Chant] Rise up! Rise up! No more waiting in the dark! Stand up! Stand up! Strike the match and mark the spark! [Verse 3: Contralto] I wore your silence like a heavy coat Stitched every tear in the hem of my throat Then the morning came through the boarded glass Said, “Girl, this hurt is not your past” [Verse 4: Rap Vocal] Now I move with the meter running No fake grin, no hand-me-down stunning Every setback left a map in the skin Every shut gate taught me where to begin You want fear? I got none to spare I put my pulse in the open air [Bridge: Duet] [Contralto] If I fall, let the floor remember [Rap Vocal] If I burn, let it light December [Both] If they call us broken, let them hear Every shattered piece is drawing near [Breakdown: Contralto] I’m still here Say my name Still here Not your shame [Group Chant] Still here! Still here! Not your shame! Still here! Still here! Remember the name! [Final Chorus: Both] We rise, we rise, with the dirt on our hands No crown, no chain, no borrowed commands Say it loud till the walls split wide We were bent, never buried alive [Outro: Group Chant] Rise up! Rise up! Let the whole room shake! Stand up! Stand up! Take back what they take! [Both] We rise, we rise, we rise.