[Verse 1] They said it was protection For the hands they sent to town A quiet policy written Where the courthouse lights look down But a badge can turn to thunder When the bill is out of sight And the street becomes a question In the administrative night [Pre-Chorus] No chant, no flag, no sermon Just a name upon the claim If power gets a blanket Who stands under the blame [Stop-time Break] [Chorus] The shield had a price tag sewn inside the blue Name the hand, show the line Who pays for the door when the door comes after you The shield had a price tag sewn inside the blue [Verse 2] The local room was smaller Than the order from above Paper crossed the border With a cold official glove Every promise sounded simple Every clause was clean Till the cost of someone's doorway Disappeared behind the screen [Drums drop out] [Chorus] The shield had a price tag sewn inside the blue Name the hand, show the line Who pays for the door when the door comes after you The shield had a price tag sewn inside the blue [Epic Bass Solo] [Bridge] I have seen a ledger hiding Where a warrant ought to be Seen a county carry thunder For a distant ministry If the law walks into daylight Let the bill walk with it too No hidden purse, no borrowed courage No nameless debt in blue [Half-time Breakdown] [Final Chorus] The shield had a price tag sewn inside the blue Name the hand, show the line Who pays for the door when the door comes after you The shield had a price tag sewn inside the blue The shield had a price tag sewn inside the blue
