Three Generations

[intro] [Female Choir] la-la-lei-la-la-lei-la-la-lei-la-la-lei [Verse 1] I've been watching my mother's hands The way they move across the table She never said the word revolution But she taught me how to stand [Verse 2] My sister drives that highway now The one our grandmother walked beside Carrying more than we'll ever know In a cotton dress and borrowed pride [Chorus] We are the wheel that keeps on turning The rain that washes old walls down We don't need permission for our burning We've always been here, holding ground [Verse 3] I think about the women before Who planted gardens in the dark Who sang while mending what was torn And kept the map inside their hearts [Verse 4] There's a photograph I carry still Three generations by the door Same eyes, same question in the air How much further than before? [Chorus] We are the wheel that keeps on turning The rain that washes old walls down We don't need permission for our burning We've always been here, holding ground [Bridge] And when my daughter asks me Will it be different when I'm grown I show her all the roads we've walked And tell her she's never been alone [Female Choir] la-la-lei-la-la-lei-la-la-lei-la-la-lei [Chorus] We are the wheel that keeps on turning The rain that washes old walls down We don't need permission for our burning We've always been here, holding ground [Outro] We've always been here Holding ground