[Verse 1] They nailed the clerics’ new decrees Beside the village green: “Let every woman hide her hair; Let no bare arm be seen.” They closed the schoolhouse doors to girls And burned the books we knew; A song could bring them to your door— A question brought them too. So every morning, pin by pin, I tucked my dreams away, While blackbirds on the chimney pots Sang boldly through the day. [Chorus] Oh, let the morning in, Let it tumble through my hair! There’s a song behind these shutters And it needs a little air. Let me choose the road I follow, Let me find out who I’ll be— There’s a life beyond their orders, And it’s waiting there for me! [Verse 2] In Ramadan, the curtains hid The bread we dared to share; We feared a knock for every crumb, A boot upon the stair. “Why must I fast?” I asked at noon. “Who gets to choose for me? Why have they bolted up the church And stolen every key?” A woman set her basket down; A boy stepped from the queue. “I’ve wondered that,” she said aloud. He answered, “I have too.” [Bridge — voices gathering] I draw the pin; my hijab slips. The wind remembers me. Another woman frees her hair, Then two more, and then three. A window opens overhead; A fiddle starts to play. The guards command us to go home— But no one walks away. [Verse 3] Now schoolgirls race along the lane, Their satchels swinging wide; The books come out from underneath The beds where they would hide. We eat at noon, or choose to fast; We pray, or choose no prayer. The church doors open to the green; The bells go everywhere. I take the long way through the town, With time to stop and roam; And when I turn my key at night, It’s not a cell. It’s home. [Final Chorus — full ensemble] Oh, let the morning in, Let it tumble through our hair! Every song behind the shutters Is spilling down the stair. We can choose the roads we follow— Bring the bread, and bring the key! There’s a life beyond their orders, And it’s ours now—we are free!
