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Words from the artist’s archive
Ballots In The Storm lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
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Intro
They used to argue in wood halls by candlelight Neighbors fighting over rules just to dodge a king’s might Now it’s cameras, billion-dollar shows on every screen Selling faces like a brand, not the people in between
Verse 1
It was wood floors, ink pens, shaking hands through the hate ‘Cause the whole new country could collapse in a day Now it’s bright lights, sound bites, slogans over the truth We get thirty-second sermons while they circle the loot They walked dirt roads, slept on couches just to earn trust Now it’s jet fuel, script reads, handlers telling ’em “hush” Some hearts real, some rusted, some just polished for show You can’t tell from the podium who really gon’ go
Pre-chorus
Four years later, still a leak in the roof Every slogan on the wall missin’ proof But that little piece of paper still truth When you slide it in the box, that’s you
Chorus
We drop ballots in the storm, let ’em fly Turn that whisper in your chest to a cry They play chess with all our lives on the board We ain’t pawns, we the ones they answer for
Verse 2
They be ghostin’ every block once the votes in the safe Like a high-school crush texting, then they vanish in space Bills pile up, same table, different face on the screen New debate, same script, same cut-scene Some vote ’cause they mama did, some vote when they mad Some still line up in the rain for the hope they had Some stay home like, “Hope cost more than what’s in my tank” Scrollin’ past the promises, overdraft at the bank They say “one nation,” but the precincts split like moons Different planets on the map, different futures in June
Bridge 1
Quiet line at the church, just a pen and a choice Feels small ’til you feel that weight in your voice Democracy messy like mud on your shoes But it’s worse when you convince yourself you lose
Verse 3
Yeah, it’s lovers that cheat, swearing “Baby, I’ll change” Every cycle, same flowers, different vase, same game They say “for the people,” but the people feel erased Like a background extra in a scene with no face Kids watchin’ from the couch while their grandpa explains How a march down the street put respect on his name We the ones in the checkout line countin’ our fears But that box in November still been speaking for years Original beat, no samples, like our thoughts on the mic New generation talkin’ to the old one alike
Chorus
We drop ballots in the storm, let ’em fly Turn that whisper in your chest to a cry They play chess with all our lives on the board We ain’t pawns, we the ones they answer for
Bridge 2
If they only come around when it’s poll-time lights We can still show up loud in the off-year nights From the school board seats to the laws they draft Every name on that ballot is a piece of our path
Chorus
We drop ballots in the storm, let ’em fly Turn that whisper in your chest to a cry They play chess with all our lives on the board We ain’t pawns, we the ones they answer for
Chorus
We drop ballots in the storm, let ’em fly Turn that whisper in your chest to a cry If they ghost us when the cameras leave the floor We still back, we the ones they answer for
Outro
It’s your kids, it’s your rent, it’s your name on that street Not a talking-point line in a highlight tweet So when the storm clouds gather and the news feels loud Remember one little ballot still shifts a crowd
Inside the recording
They used to argue in wood halls by candlelight Neighbors fighting over rules just to dodge a king’s might
Four years later, still a leak in the roof Every slogan on the wall missin’ proof
It’s your kids, it’s your rent, it’s your name on that street Not a talking-point line in a highlight tweet
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.