[Verse 1] They watch my skin like a case file Same stop, same stare, same smile Hands up, heart loud, mind sharp Whole block knows how the hooks start Blue lights, red tape, fake calm Same lie wrapped in a law’s palm One hood rich, one hood starved One gets grace, one gets scarred My name loud when I’m angry Their fear cute when they brand me They call it order, I call it theft Count the losses they never check Mama said keep your chin high Still the world try to dim mine I was born with a target on Still I spit till the dark is gone [Pre-Chorus] Say it plain, say it true Same world, different rules Say it loud, let it ring We been hurting for the same thing [Chorus] Black lives matter (matter) Say it back, say it louder Black lives matter (matter) Ain’t no chain gonna outlast us Freedom now, freedom now Hear the streets when they shout out Black lives matter (matter) We still here, we still proud [Verse 2] They make a villain out of hunger Then sell the cure to the younger Same fence, same block, same night One mistake, ten years of life Courtroom cold, judge don’t blink Write my future in a sink Public defender, thin file Whole life pinned on a hard trial Double standards in the headlines One kind of pain gets a bedtime One kind of rage gets praised One kind of grief gets caged I seen friends in orange denim Seen good kids folded in the system Seen fathers talk through glass Seen sons get names not classed I don’t fear the truth, I throw it Every bruise got a story on it [Pre-Chorus] Say it plain, say it true Same world, different rules Say it loud, let it ring We been fighting for the same thing [Chorus] Black lives matter (matter) Say it back, say it louder Black lives matter (matter) Ain’t no chain gonna outlast us Freedom now, freedom now Hear the streets when they shout out Black lives matter (matter) We still here, we still proud [Bridge] If they build a cage, we learn the keys If they shut the gate, we move the streets From the block to the books to the ballot line We don’t bend for the same old lies No peace in a pocket full of fear No future if the truth don’t clear I’m raw, I’m scarred, I’m breathing still And I won’t hush when I say what’s real [Final Chorus] Black lives matter (matter) Say it back, say it louder Black lives matter (matter) Ain’t no chain gonna outlast us Freedom now, freedom now Hear the streets when they shout out Black lives matter (matter) We still here, we still proud
