[Intro] Let the horns talk Let the drums lead Let the people move Let the whole block breathe [Verse] We came with a trumpet and a busted sign A bass drum heart in a restless line Police lights blinking at the edge of night But the crowd kept stepping in the golden light Grandma got a whistle, kid got a flag Worker got a lunchbox, old cloth bag Nobody famous, nobody paid Just Brass Against the Barricades [Pre-Chorus] They can build the fences high They can paint the warnings red But a groove can cross a border And wake the nearly dead [Chorus] Brass Against the Barricades Blow that sorrow into flame Every horn is calling names Of the ones who paid and paid Brass Against the Barricades We don’t bow and we don’t fade Let the rhythm break the gates Brass Against the Barricades [Verse] They told us keep it civil, keep it nice While they rolled the hungry like loaded dice They told us wait for another year But the rent came due and the war came near So the trombone slides like a warning bell Saxophone screams what the papers won’t tell Trumpet cuts bright through the tear gas shade That’s Brass Against the Barricades [Pre-Chorus] They can turn the speakers down They can flood the streets with dread But a chant can split the silence When the truth gets fed [Chorus] Brass Against the Barricades Blow that sorrow into flame Every horn is calling names Of the ones who paid and paid Brass Against the Barricades We don’t bow and we don’t fade Let the rhythm break the gates Brass Against the Barricades [Instrumental] Horn break rolling, drums keep marching Bassline heavy, crowd keeps clapping Scratch on the record, siren in time Feet on the pavement, fire in the rhyme [Bridge] No velvet rope can hold this song No iron gate can last too long No marble hall can hide the cost Of every home and hope they lost [Breakdown] Left foot, right foot, breathe in smoke Laugh through fear when the brass band spoke Left foot, right foot, voices raised Brass Against the Barricades [Build-up] Say hey Hey Say move Move Say we We Say prove Prove [Chorus] Brass Against the Barricades Blow that sorrow into flame Every horn is calling names Of the ones who paid and paid Brass Against the Barricades We don’t bow and we don’t fade Let the rhythm break the gates Brass Against the Barricades [Chorus] Brass Against the Barricades Blow that sorrow into flame Every horn is calling names Of the ones who paid and paid Brass Against the Barricades We don’t bow and we don’t fade Let the rhythm break the gates Brass Against the Barricades [Outro] When the night gets loud and the order shakes When the people dance till the morning breaks Tell the quiet streets what the trumpet played Brass Against the Barricades