THEY TOLD US SIT DOWN

VERSE 1 They told us sit down They told us play it safe They told us know our place And learn to love the cage They built the gates so high They thought we'd never see What's waiting on the other side For people who stay free PRE-CHORUS CHOIR: But we heard something JACKSON: What did you hear? CHOIR: We heard the music calling JACKSON: What did it say? CHOIR: It said get up, get up, get up CHORUS They told us sit down We stood up singing They told us quiet down We came in ringing Every door they closed on us Became a stage we built Every dream they tried to drown Is the dream we will not kill They told us sit down We stood up VERSE 2 There's an artist in the spotlight Who walked away from gold Said the money wasn't worth The story being sold There's a theater in a basement With fifteen souls and a dream There's a truth that doesn't care How impossible it seems PRE-CHORUS CHOIR: And we heard something JACKSON: What did you hear? CHOIR: We heard America singing JACKSON: What did it say? CHOIR: It said get up, get up, get up CHORUS They told us sit down We stood up singing They told us quiet down We came in ringing Every door they closed on us Became a stage we built Every dream they tried to drown Is the dream we will not kill They told us sit down We stood up BRIDGE (brass section takes over, no vocals, just horns and rhythm) (then Jackson speaks over the groove) JACKSON (spoken): You know what they fear most? Not the loud ones. The ones who just keep playing. The ones who show up every night. The ones who build the stage out of whatever they've got left. CHOIR (building under): Keep playing. Keep playing. FULL BAND HITS: FINAL CHORUS They told us sit down We brought the whole house down They told us step back We took the whole damn town Every wall they built between us Is a wall we're going through They told us sit down Watch what sitting down can do THEY TOLD US SIT DOWN — WE STOOD UP OUTRO (brass riff repeating, fading) CHOIR: Stand up. Stand up. Stand up. (until silence)