[Intro] No more backrooms No more noise Put it on the ballot Give the people choice [Verse 1] Party bosses picked who appeared in the race State conventions kept the power in place Backroom choices had the ballot arranged Robert La Follette said the system must change Wisconsin Idea put the voters in line Direct primary made the nomination mine Citizens chose who would carry their name Bosses lost control of the candidate game No private circle making every decision Public participation became the new mission When the people choose who gets on the slate Government listens and democracy wakes [Chorus] We the People To form a more perfect union Demand elites better listen and tune in Establish justice With a vote and a voice Insure tranquility By giving us a choice Provide for the common defense Against corruption and money influence Promote the welfare by giving a living wage So blessings of liberty will always stay [Verse 2] Oregon opened another reform route Put direct democracy inside of the vote Initiative let citizens start the debate Place their own issue on the ballot of state Referendum let the public decide Accept a new law or reject it outright Recall said officials who failed in the role Could lose their position through popular control Initiative Referendum Recall the three More direct power in democracy The Oregon System kept spreading its reach Western states put more control in the streets Power moved closer to everyday lives When the public had tools to organize [Chorus] We the People To form a more perfect union Demand elites better listen and tune in Establish justice With a vote and a voice Insure tranquility By giving us a choice Provide for the common defense Against corruption and money influence Promote the welfare by giving a living wage So blessings of liberty will always stay [Verse 3] State legislaytures once selected each name For the United States Senate political game Business and bosses could influence the seat While everyday voters got left in the street Progressives demanded a more direct voice People should make the senatorial choice Newspapers and magazines carried the heat Congress faced pressure to answer the street Congress passed it in nineteen twelve Put the old selection system on the shelf States ratified it in nineteen thirteen Seventeenth Amendment changed the scene Direct election put control in the polls Voters chose senators to fill those roles A greater public voice made the message resound When power rises up it should come from the ground [Bridge] Primary ballot Power to choose Start a proposal Accept or refuse Recall a leader Elect every seat Government works When the voice is complete [Final Chorus] We the People To form a more perfect union Demand elites better listen and tune in Establish justice With a vote and a voice Insure tranquility By giving us a choice Provide for the common defense Against corruption and money influence Promote the welfare by giving a living wage So blessings of liberty will always stay We the People We the People Vote and a voice Vote and a voice Government belongs To the people with a choice [Outro] No more backrooms No more noise Put it on the ballot Give the people choice
