[Intro] A pass in my hand Says where I may go The train takes me out Where I'm told I belong [Verse 1] I wake before daylight I cross to the other side I work where I cannot live I leave when the sirens cry A number, a page A room, a line They tell me where I can stand But the footsteps are mine [Pre-Chorus] So I call— [Chorus - Call and Response] If I call— (WE ANSWER!) If I fall— (WE ANSWER!) We choose where we walk, where we stand We go on [Verse 2 - Somber, Sparse, Slow] Our school shoes meet the morning Our classrooms empty behind Words placed into our mouths A language chosen for us [Breakdown - Slow March, Mournful, Minimal Drums] We walk out into Soweto Young voices under the sun Some desks stand empty tomorrow Some mothers wait for steps that don't come [Pre-Chorus] Still I call— [Chorus - Call and Response] If I call— (WE ANSWER!) If I fall— (WE ANSWER!) We choose where we walk, where we stand We go on [Bridge - Processional Build] Carry them home Carry them slow A door opens Another opens House after house Street after street Footsteps beside us Fill up the road You tried to leave us with silence But silence brought us here (WE ARE HERE!) [Final Chorus - Call and Response] If I call— (WE ANSWER!) If I fall— (WE ANSWER!) We choose where we walk, where we stand We go on [Outro - Intimate] Now I wait in another line A paper in my hands No pass tells me where to go No voice tells me where to stand One step forward Then another one I reach the front I make my mark And I count. [End]
