[Verse 1: The Wound] (Soft piano, heartbeat percussion) They told you "hush" like a secret to keep, Pressed palms to your lips when you dared to speak. Built walls where your wings ought to be— But babygirl, storms make oaks out of seeds. [Pre-Chorus: The Turn] (Drums build, strings swell) Oh, but fire lives in the curl of your fists, And thunder rolls off your hips when you pivot. Silence was never your native tongue— The world just feared how loud you'd come... [Chorus: The Rising] (Full choir joins, triumphant horns) So RISE—oh, daughters of the fight! With scraped knees and teeth clenched tight. Let them hear your healed bones roar, What tried to break you built your throne! [Verse 2: The Forge] (Gritty hip-hop beat kicks in) You—birthed revolutions between lunch breaks, Turned kitchen tables into treaty spaces. Carried ghosts in your womb like saints, Taught mercy to those who showed you pain. [Bridge: The Names] (Call-and-response with ancestral echoes) Say "I am" like Fannie Lou Hamer! ("I am the truth!") Say "I am" like Rigoberta Menchú! ("I am the soil!") Say "I am" like Marsha P. Johnson! ("I am the fire!") Now whisper your name like a war drum... [Final Chorus: The Legacy] (Tempo slows to a march, raw vocals) We RISE—not for applause or crowns, But for the girls still learning how to drown. Our scars map where the light gets in— Now watch the whole damn sky give in! [Outro: Benediction] (Single piano note sustains) May your noes echo like prophecies. Your yeses drip honey for generations to eat. And when they ask "Who saved the world?" Point to your reflection—then teach her to roar.
