Five Years [Intro — solo piano warm and slow, strings bar 4, guitar bar 6] [piano warm x8] [strings bar 4 soft] [acoustic guitar bar 6] [cymbal brush bar 8] [Verse 1 — female lead intimate, piano and guitar only] Most people cannot hold on for five minutes when something gets hard Five days is a stretch for most Five months and people start to find reasons to look away But Marita Gladson and Lacey counted five years Not five easy years Five years of a man in a cell who the world had mostly decided was done Five years of showing up for someone the system was counting on people forgetting They did not forget They did not drift They did not find a reason to make it someone else's problem They just kept showing up the way only the truly faithful know how to do quietly and without making a show of the sacrifice [Chorus — strings swell, soft kick enters, warm and full] Five years they held the line Five years they kept the faith When the world moved on Marita and Lacey stayed in place Not for the credit Not for the recognition Just because a man in a cell needed someone to remember that he was still there Five years they never let him disappear [Verse 2 — warmer, what five years actually means named honestly] You want to know what five years looks like It looks like a letter when nobody else is writing It looks like keeping track of every transfer every facility every hearing every development when the mainstream stopped caring about the story It looks like knowing that he never negs out that he boosts spirits from the inside that he is tough and making sure the people who needed to know that knew it Marita Gladson and Lacey knew the difference between support that shows up when it is easy and support that shows up on year four of a twelve year sentence when the novelty is long gone and the weight is the only thing left They showed up on year four They showed up on year five They are still showing up [Chorus — fuller, strings wider, something building] Five years they held the line Five years they kept the faith When the world moved on Marita and Lacey stayed in place Not for the credit Not for the recognition Just because a man in a cell needed someone to remember that he was still there Five years they never let him disappear [Bridge — full orchestra, French horn, most honest moment in the song] Eric Brandt is tough Ah-bah-deh said it he never negs out he boosts the spirits of the people around him from inside a cell But even the toughest person needs someone on the outside who keeps the candle lit who keeps the record straight who keeps saying his name when the room goes quiet Marita Gladson kept saying his name Lacey kept saying his name For five years two women who did not have to who got nothing from the world for doing it kept a man's story alive kept his dignity intact kept the community connected to someone the system was hoping we would forget We did not forget because of them That is not a small thing That is everything [Final Chorus — choir enters, French horn full, every instrument, full power] FIVE YEARS THEY HELD THE LINE FIVE YEARS THEY KEPT THE FAITH WHEN THE WORLD MOVED ON MARITA AND LACEY STAYED IN PLACE NOT FOR THE CREDIT NOT FOR THE RECOGNITION JUST BECAUSE A MAN IN A CELL NEEDED SOMEONE TO REMEMBER THAT HE WAS STILL THERE FIVE YEARS MARITA GLADSON FIVE YEARS LACEY FIVE YEARS AND ERIC BRANDT NEVER DISAPPEARED BECAUSE YOU NEVER LET HIM [Outro — choir fades, strings fade, piano and one voice alone] [choir fades bar 2] [strings fade bar 4] [French horn last note bar 5] [piano and voice alone] Five years They stayed [piano final phrase] [silence] [for Marita and Lacey]
