We come to you exhausted like men from a war
We were enlisted in a battle we did not sign up for
Our families lay dead on the streets and hanging from trees
Our women lay raped, blood on their knees
Our children lay hopeless with no youth in their eyes
We come to you tired of all your lies
Tired of the life you shoved in our arms, then drained away
Keep in mind we are worriors and hard to break
But we come to you broken.
We are tires of running into the brick walls we are talking to
The privileged ignorance that is you
The inability to voice our concerns
Civil injustice that much like acid burns
We are tired of being held at bay
We are tired of taking what you have to say!
Tired of changing to conform
Tired of weathering this unjust storm
They tell us slavery was long ago, and we should move on
Our great grands, grands, father, mothers and we still suffer because it has never gone!
Tell me to get a job but refuse my application
Tell me I’m dumb but refuse me education!
We create our jobs you burn them down
We strive to learn but you shut us down
You push us down
You keep us down
We FIGHT and YELL but you don’t hear a sound!
Our bodies are weak and our numbers are low
So to you we come to let you know
We are exhausted like men from war
From fighting in a battle we did not sign up for
A life of death
We live this oxymoron
So as we stand here hands raised but not in surrender
We let our tired voice ring out of our tired throats reach your privileged ears and let your privileged eye watch our tired bodies RISE, RISE, RISE in strength
A strength unknown to those unfamiliar with pain and suppression
We rise, still tired and demand rest for our people
So take what I say as a lesson from the restless
Just hope we don’t learn how to rule like the opressless