250, One-By-One

[Style: 90s Broadway Rock Opera, driving piano, gritty vocals, ensemble harmonies, high-energy, rhythmic syncopation, intense theatrical climax] [Lyrics] (Verse 1) The land was carved with heavy hand From shore to mountain, sea to sand We built our towers on the stones Of labor, pride, and broken bones A proud look cast upon the plain To cover up the blood and stain The ink was dry, the vow was sworn Yet in the shadow, grief was born (Chorus) Oh, the ledger grows with every year God keeps the oath breakers busy here The wicked path, the straying way God judges all, both night and day The proud are high, the humble fall The writing’s etched upon the wall From seventeen-seventy-six we run Beneath the scorching, hidden sun (Verse 2) The stranger knocked, we turned the key We kept our chains, we praised the free The witness lied, the scales were bent To serve the gold, the heart's intent The desert cries for rivers dried For all the ones the nation tried For power’s reach and pride of place We hid away the Father’s face (Bridge) The tongue was swift to speak the lie To hide the truth from every eye But every day the scales are weighed For every debt that was not paid The cup is full, the vintage red For all the blood the pride has shed (Chorus) Oh, the ledger grows with every year God keeps the oath breakers busy here The wicked path, the straying way God judges all, both night and day The proud are high, the humble fall The writing’s etched upon the wall From seventeen-seventy-six we run Beneath the scorching, hidden sun (Outro) Two hundred fifty, one by one The setting of the nation’s sun The wicked work, the day is done The justice comes for everyone