[Verse 1] Children are people, not proof Not pieces for your plans Little hearts with names and needs Small hands in bigger hands You don't get to call it care If you steal their growing years You don't get to build your world Out of their skin and fears [Pre-Chorus] They need rooms with open doors They need sleep and food and rain They need truth that stays the same Not a lesson built from pain [Chorus] Children are people Deserve dignity Children are people Need safety to be free Not raw material Not your scheme, not your need Children are people Let them grow, let them breathe [Verse 2] Let them laugh too loud at noon Let them scrape their knees Let them make a mess with crayons Chase the trees and bees Not a page for your agenda Not a test you twist and bend They are here to become themselves Not a means to your end [Pre-Chorus] They need rooms with open doors They need sleep and food and rain They need truth that stays the same Not a lesson built from pain [Chorus] Children are people Deserve dignity Children are people Need safety to be free Not raw material Not your scheme, not your need Children are people Let them grow, let them breathe [Bridge] So take your hands off their tomorrow Take your marks off their skin Take your plans out of their bodies Let their own lives begin One more time for the ones who listen One more time, make it clear Children are people And they deserve to be here [Final Chorus] Children are people Deserve dignity Children are people Need safety to be free Not raw material Not your scheme, not your need Children are people Let them grow, let them breathe Children are people — let them become who they are.
