Hold The Line

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Mama ironed my shirt by the stove Said, "Walk straight, baby, hold your head up" I saw that line at the courthouse door Same old sign with a newer name Men in ties said, "Wait your turn" But my name was in the ledger too I was born with a right in my chest And a fire that the law can't cool [Pre-Chorus] We been bent, but not broken We been shoved, but still stand Hear that train in the distance It got change in its hand [Chorus] Hold the line, hold the line We belong, we belong Hold the line, hold the line Ain't nobody right but us Hold the line, hold the line Hear us sing, hear us sing Hold the line, hold the line Till the whole town opens up [Verse 2] Bus window fog and a schoolhouse step Little shoes on a cracked front walk One sign said "colored," one said "white" But the tears fall red the same Brother got turned from the lunchroom door Sister kept her books pressed tight We learned early what they feared most Was a people that knew their light [Pre-Chorus] We been bent, but not broken We been shoved, but still stand Hear that train in the distance It got change in its hand [Chorus] Hold the line, hold the line We belong, we belong Hold the line, hold the line Ain't nobody right but us Hold the line, hold the line Hear us sing, hear us sing Hold the line, hold the line Till the whole town opens up [Bridge] Now the march steps heavy on Main Street Sister Ruth with a rose in her hair Hands up high in the summer heat Like a prayer on the air One voice turns into a hundred One door shakes in the frame We were never made for silence We were made to say our name [Final Chorus] Hold the line, hold the line We belong, we belong Hold the line, hold the line Ain't nobody right but us Hold the line, hold the line Hear us sing, hear us sing Hold the line, hold the line Till the whole town opens up [Outro] Hold the line Hold the line Till the whole town opens up