[Verse 1] They built a mall where the park used to be Now kids cross lanes just to sit on a seat A line out the door for a job that don't pay And the ad on the bus says, "Smile through your day" The rent got hands, it don't let go Every month it's "more" on the paper you hold Mama says, "Baby, don't waste what you earn" While the price on the milk keeps making us turn [Pre-Chorus] Tell me who wins When the table is tilted Tell me who bleeds When the flag gets lifted [Chorus] Pay us back Pay us back For the hours they took Pay us back Pay us back For the life they sold us We want more than crumbs We want more than crumbs Pay us back Pay us back Yeah, pay us back [Verse 2] They call it noise when the neighbors get loud But call it "growth" when they flatten the crowd The school gets a camera, the clinic gets a wait And the young ones learn how to count up their hate A suit gets a seat, a kid gets a file A door stays closed with a policy smile They say "be patient," say "trust the chain" But the chain don't feed you, it just hides the pain [Pre-Chorus] Tell me who wins When the table is tilted Tell me who bleeds When the flag gets lifted [Chorus] Pay us back Pay us back For the hours they took Pay us back Pay us back For the life they sold us We want more than crumbs We want more than crumbs Pay us back Pay us back Yeah, pay us back [Bridge] If a mouth stays quiet, the wound stays open If a hand stays folded, nothing gets chosen We know the names We know the games We know the mask they wear So raise your voice Till the walls get nervous Raise your voice Till the lies get thirsty [Final Chorus] Pay us back Pay us back For the hours they took Pay us back Pay us back For the life they sold us We want more than crumbs We want more than crumbs Pay us back Pay us back Yeah, pay us back
