Hold the Line, Brother

Clock-in whistle screaming at the break of dawn, Boss man smiling like the devil’s favorite son. Overtime stolen, safety rules ignored, We’re bleeding out sweat for what they can’t afford. Steel boots marching on the rust-bit rails, Stories in our lungs like forgotten tales. We ain’t your machines, we ain’t your spare parts— We carry our lives in our hands and our hearts. Hey! No more silence in the yard! Hey! No more bending ’til we’re scarred! Hold the line, brother! Hold the line, sister! Hold the line, all of us — We don’t break, we blister! Raise your fists high, Feel the steel in your spine— You take one of us down, We all Hold the Line! I’ve hauled that freight, man, I know that grind, A paycheck’s a chain if you fall behind. They’ll buy your hours but they want your fear, Want you quiet, tired, and disappear. But we’re louder than brake-sparks splitting the night, We’re a diesel heart beating, ready to fight. You don’t fight for the bosses or the men on the hill— You fight for the hands that keep the world moving still. Hey! Every shift is a war they choose! Hey! But together, we refuse! Hold the line, brother! Hold the line, sister! Hold the line, comrades — Let the corps feel the blister! Raise your fists high, Feel the steel in your spine— You take one of us down, We all Hold the Line! We’ve seen their numbers. We’ve read their lies. But you can’t break a union that knows how to rise. Who stands up when the shift turns grim? We do! Who lights fires when the lights go dim? We do! Who keeps the yard from falling apart? We do! Who fights with grit and a freight-yard heart? RYR! Hold the line, brother! Hold the line, sister! Hold the line, every soul — Never bow to the system! Raise your fists high, Let your courage align— ’Cause we don’t back down, We HOLD! THE! LINE! Up the yards! Up the workers! Up the fight!