“A New Kind of Cage” Verse 1 I marched when they shut the doors, when a woman’s word was waved away. We asked for equal ground to stand on, equal pay for equal work, an equal say. We asked to choose the shape of our lives, to rise or stay, to lead or build. We wanted freedom from the old rules— not new rules written out of guilt. Pre-Chorus Equality means the same open door, the same respect, the same fair chance. It means no one’s judged by someone else’s sins, no one’s kept down so another can advance. Chorus We didn’t march to make a new kind of cage, or trade one prejudice for a new one in its place. Equality lifts us shoulder to shoulder; it doesn’t need a man brought low to raise a woman higher. A woman’s worth is not a man’s defeat. Fairness means the same rules under both our feet. I’m still a feminist—I know what I believe. But this is not what we marched for. Verse 2 If a man works hard and earns his place, don’t call his effort proof of shame. If a woman earns that same success, don’t make her prove she’s not to blame. Let both be heard, let both be judged by what they do and what they say. No one should inherit someone else’s guilt; no one should have to pay that way. Pre-Chorus Equality means your “no” is heard, and his “no” matters just the same. It means we hold the guilty to account without condemning every man by name. Chorus We didn’t march to make a new kind of cage, or trade one prejudice for a new one in its place. Equality lifts us shoulder to shoulder; it doesn’t need a man brought low to raise a woman higher. A woman’s worth is not a man’s defeat. Fairness means the same rules under both our feet. I’m still a feminist—I know what I believe. But this is not what we marched for. Verse 3 Some say the scales must tip our way to pay for every crooked year. But justice isn’t settling scores or making someone else live in fear. You can name the wrong, repair the harm, and still refuse to spread the blame. A fairer world won’t come from switching who gets shamed and who gets named. Bridge There’s room for her ambition, room for him to show his heart. Room for her to build a career, room for him to play his part. Room for homes and different dreams, for lives we choose and lives we share. Freedom means the choice belongs to us— and the chance is truly fair. Breakdown Not silence for silence. Not blame for blame. Not one side winning while the rules stay the same. No borrowed guilt. No second-class place. No new kind of cage with a kinder name. Final Chorus We didn’t march to make a new kind of cage, or trade one prejudice for a new one in its place. Equality means neither one is born to serve, neither one gets less than they deserve. A woman’s worth is not a man’s defeat. Fairness means the same rules under both our feet. I’m still a feminist—I know what I believe. Equal means equal. It’s not all men—it never was; judge every heart by what it does. No borrowed blame, no favored side— same ground for all, let’s rise side by side. That’s what we marched for. That's what we marched for. that. is what. we. marched for.......
