Intro — whispered over heartbeat and three wooden knocks] Lantern Keepers… Open the door. Trailblazers— Let the light in. [Verse 1 — male, raspy] From the church pew to the corner where the night shift meets the day, For the faithful, for the searching, for the ones still on their way. Black and white and brown together, every shade beneath the sun— I won’t size a soul by color. Every life deserves a welcome. [Pre-Chorus — female] A welcome ain’t a slogan If the door stays shut tight. Love is what these hands do When nobody’s watching tonight. [Chorus — female lead, duet harmony] I choose love—let it start with me, Pull out a chair, make room, let them breathe. Open hands, steady heart, One small kindness can be a start. I choose love in the things I do, Hear somebody out, help them make it through. When the world draws lines and says, “You’re on your own,” I choose love. I make room. I bring you home. [Verse 2 — male] For the ones who love someone They’ve been told they shouldn’t love, May they meet a kindly welcome, Not another door shoved shut. For the ones who crossed an ocean, For the neighbor down the street, May there be a place at my table, May there be enough to eat. [Verse 3 — female] For the ones who walk, and those on wheels, For the voices signed or spoken, I can slow down, learn to listen, Help a silence feel less broken. For the Sunday suit and pressed shirt, For the pockets turned inside out, May I never make a person Feel ashamed to ask for help. [Chorus — duet] I choose love—let it start with me, Pull out a chair, make room, let them breathe. Open hands, steady heart, One small kindness can be a start. I choose love in the things I do, Hear somebody out, help them make it through. When the world draws lines and says, “You’re on your own,” I choose love. I make room. I bring you home. [Verse 4 — male, more intimate] For the young ones asking questions, For the old left on their own, For the ones who sleep in cars Still dreaming of a home. For the ones whose votes differ, Whose hard roads I can’t claim, May I listen for the person Before I answer with a name. [Bridge — female, rising] Love won’t bless a cruel word. Love won’t paint a wrong thing right. I can stand beside the wounded And refuse to feed the fight. When anger reaches for my tongue, When I want the last word too, I remember when I needed Someone’s mercy to come through. [Break — male, rhythmic, beat strips back] Unclench your fist. Pull out a chair. Stay for the story. Show that you care. A hand can help. A word can heal. Love gets real In what we do. [Final Chorus — full duet, lifted energy] I choose love—let it start with me, Pull out a chair, make room, let them breathe. Open hands, steady heart, One small kindness can be a start. I choose love in the things I do, Hear somebody out, help them make it through. Hate had its turn saying who we should be— Today I choose love. Let it start with me. [Outro — female, then male] Let it start with me. Let the welcome be real. Let the hands reach first. Let the heart stay kind. [Whisper] Trailblazers… we choose love.
