[Intro]
Mic check, one two, let the whole block breathe
Hands up high if you still believe
Lights on the field, speakers in the street
Tonight the truth got drums underneath

[Verse]
I came with a notebook, torn at the spine
Names in the margins, dates on the line
Bills on the table, smoke in the sky
Mothers count coins while the headlines lie
They sell us a slogan, they dress it in gold
Then send us the invoice when the promises fold
But we got a rhythm they never could own
A bassline louder than a marble throne

[Pre-Chorus]
Say who pays
We pay
Say who bleeds
We bleed
Say who stands
We stand
Say who leads
We lead

[Chorus]
Mic check for the people, let the back row hear
No more whispering through another bad year
Mic check for the people, let the whole square know
When the truth hits the kick drum, the streets move slow
Mic check for the people, no kings on the stage
Only hands in the air turning pain into rage
Mic check for the people, let the night repeat
We got soul in the speakers and fire in the beat

[Verse]
See the suits in the glass rooms counting the flame
Calling every broken promise by a cleaner name
They move like shadows behind clean doors
While the poor keep sweeping up rich men’s wars
But the crowd got memory, the crowd got lungs
The crowd got history under its tongue
Every chant is a hammer, every clap is a spark
Every bass drum lands like a match in the dark

[Pre-Chorus]
Say who pays
We pay
Say who bleeds
We bleed
Say who stands
We stand
Say who leads
We lead

[Chorus]
Mic check for the people, let the back row hear
No more whispering through another bad year
Mic check for the people, let the whole square know
When the truth hits the kick drum, the streets move slow
Mic check for the people, no kings on the stage
Only hands in the air turning pain into rage
Mic check for the people, let the night repeat
We got soul in the speakers and fire in the beat

[Interlude]
One mic
One crowd
One truth
Say it loud
One beat
One ground
One voice
Break it down

[Breakdown]
Check the mic
Check the street
Check the lies
Check the beat
Check the names
Check the cost
Check the ones
They called lost

[Build-up]
If you came here tired, raise your hand
If you came here angry, take a stand
If you came here quiet, find your sound
If you came here broken, join the crowd

[Chorus]
Mic check for the people, let the back row hear
No more whispering through another bad year
Mic check for the people, let the whole square know
When the truth hits the kick drum, the streets move slow
Mic check for the people, no kings on the stage
Only hands in the air turning pain into rage
Mic check for the people, let the night repeat
We got soul in the speakers and fire in the beat

[Outro]
Mic check, one two, we are still here
No more silence, no more fear
Lights fade slow but the voices stay
The people found the rhythm today