[Intro – Gospel choir, stomps and claps] Hold the line Hold the line Hold the line Hold the line [Rap Sermon – male baritone preacher voice, commanding, sharp downbeats] Listen close and hear me plain Pride burns hot in a young man's brain Every road that climbs too fast Leaves a broken soul at last Every whisper in the night Ain't a voice that leads to light Some come shining soft and sweet Just to drag you off your feet Hold the line Hold it strong Every crooked road goes wrong Hold the line Guard your soul Some doors swallow men whole [Call and Response – gospel hip-hop] Who do we trust? Hold the line! When the dark calls loud? Hold the line! When the sky says run? Hold the line! When temptation shouts? Hold the line! [Rap Verse – baritone preacher voice, rising intensity] Some men dream of crowns and fire Some men chase a higher choir Some men hear a voice and swear Heaven put it in the air But every angel ain't divine Every star ain't meant to shine Every road that leaves this place Might erase the human race [Ensemble Rap – rhythmic agreement, overlapping lines] Hold the line Stay in place Every soul must know their place Hold the line Guard the gate Nothing good comes tempting fate [Rap Verse – baritone preacher voice, urgent] Hear these words before it's late Pride is just a gilded bait Every voice that crowns you king Might be something darker speaking If the sky should call your name Turn away and stay the same Some doors open wide and bright But they lead to endless night [Bridge – male tenor rap, defiant tone] What if the night ain't wrong at all? What if the sky is just a wall? What if the voice beyond the dark Is just a hidden kind of spark? What if the world is small on purpose? What if the cage was built to hurt us? What if the road you call a sin Is where the truth has always been? [Call and Response – choir] Hold the line! Hold the line! Guard the soul! Guard the soul! Hold the line! Hold the line! [Whisper chant – distant, hypnotic] Past the sky Past the stars Something knows Who we are Past the sky Past the night Something waking In the light [Final Verse – baritone preacher voice, stern] Mark these words and mark them well Some roads walk you straight to hell When the dark begins to climb Hold the line [Final Choir] Hold the line Hold the line Hold the line Hold the line
