They gave us every word. They gave us every spell. They build the cage, and handed us the key as well.more

You don’t even have to look at social media to see how messed up everything is, but I have to say there is a current to things that gives me hope. More people are waking up and doing something to change the direction the world is heading in, but the institutions of politics and corporate power are trying to push back and keep us feeling helpless. I wanted to write something for everyone to know that they aren’t alone. We aren’t alone, we’re the ants in A Bugs Life and they are the grasshoppers. (Lyrics ) (Lyrics) Whispers in the marble halls, decrees carved in stone Faces on the screens preaching thrones we never owned But the mirror cracks, reflections show the game We’re done with borrowed crowns, time to claim our name Pulse in the pavement, rhythm in the rain No more swallowing silence, no more endless pain We rise up, rise up, break the crown tonight! No tyrants, no shadows, we're igniting the fight Hands locked together, voices cutting through the night Rise up, rise up - freedom's claiming its right! Streets pulse like rivers, flooding every gate Empires built on fear start to buckle under weight Every silenced dream now roars back to the surface We’re the storm they never saw, the tide, they can’t reverse us Forged in hidden fires, steel runs through our veins Echoes of the fallen carve this path through their maze Their towers tremble, foundations crack and fray We march through the ruins, turning night into day They built their walls to last, thought we'd never dare But every crack we widen shows the truth was always there No king can hold the heartbeat of a people unchained We’re the dawn they feared, the fire they can’t contain Hear it coming the roar we’ve held inside One last breath… then we collide We rise up! (Rise up!) Break the crown tonight! Together unbreakable, under endless light No more kneeling, no more fight-or-flight We rise up, rise up - freedom's ours by right! (Rise up! Rise up!) more

One of the things I’ve been most inspired by over the last few years is the strength and determination of the Palestinian people. Seeing them keep going on in unbelievable hardship, death, and pain, something about their struggle has given me my own strength when I have felt like giving up. They have touched so many lives by simply telling their stories, sharing them with the world. There was something deeper that needed to be captured and shared, beyond what most people have tried to show, a quiet courage and steadfast bravery in the face of certain death. The song is both melancholy and defiant - I have to say, a very hard balance to find. I got a bit stuck towards the end, but I hope you like it and you feel a bit of what I have felt ❤️ (Lyrics) We scratched our names into bark with dull kitchen knives Carried stories in cracked pockets, passed them inside Olive roots thicker than our wrists, older than our lives We made them mean something when no one else would try We will live, we will rise Under fire that scorches the skies Though the world dreams of our end We'll stand tall, never bend From the mud where our feet are chained We'll write our names in the pouring rain Despite the will of the cruel and blind Our hearts beat on unconfined Tents flap like soaked laundry in the storm Feet sink deeper each time the sky weeps and roars Damp canvas clings with mildewed lies we scorn We pass unfinished tales, low voices, cracked lips, one breath more We will live, we will rise Under fire that scorches the skies Though the world dreams of our end We'll stand tall, never bend From the mud where our feet are chained We'll write our names in the pouring rain Despite the will of the cruel and blind Our hearts beat on, unconfined Just blood in our veins Another morning we wake Just breath on our lips Wondering what is our fate? We’ll finish our story Torch sputters, still burns Hums of our songs Preserved through the turn We will live... we will live... Despite it all, we forgive? No We must endure, we will thrive Olive branches and ink... our quiet drive more