Not Your Marching Number

Lyrics

[Intro] No more waiting! No more silence! [Verse 1] They stamped our names on borrowed paper Sold the river, raised the rent Every promise came with handcuffs Every speech was money spent We learned the route beneath the courthouse Counted windows, marked the doors Now the people fill the avenue And the pavement knows our roar [Chorus] We are not your marching number We are not your quiet crowd When the power serves the powerful We stand up, we speak loud No retreat, no clean surrender No permission, no disguise You can lock the gates behind you You can't lock our voices inside [Verse 2] A nurse holds up a cardboard sign A teacher brings her students near A mechanic wipes the grease away Says, "I've paid enough this year" From the market to the factory Different hands, the same demand If they write the rules for profit We will rewrite where we stand [Chorus] We are not your marching number We are not your quiet crowd When the power serves the powerful We stand up, we speak loud No retreat, no clean surrender No permission, no disguise You can lock the gates behind you You can't lock our voices inside [Bridge] Who owns the water? We do! Who owns the future? We do! Who gets a voice here? We do! Then open every door! [Breakdown] No throne! No leash! No law above the people! No throne! No leash! We take back what they keep! [Final Chorus] We are not your marching number We are not your quiet crowd When the power serves the powerful We stand up, we speak loud No retreat, no clean surrender No permission, no disguise You can lock the gates behind you You can't lock our voices inside [Outro] No more waiting! No more silence! The street is ours tonight!