You used to try to do what you'd think they thought they'd want you to, but do you think that they would do the same for you?

You held your breath you held the thread you held that shield over your head now you're holding up the torch instead

When I think about all that you've been through, when I think about what they did to you, I'm amazed you're standing here anew

Cause you do what you have to, to let down your shield, to let down your shield

Yeah you do what you have to, to let down your shield, let down your shield

I never felt I had to fight for the inalienable right to live whatever kind of life I choose

But you, you had to burn, you had to turn, you had to teach, had to unlearn and now it seems they've brought the fight to you

Cause when you stand up and refuse to take any more abuse from man, from government, from you

You do what you have to, to lift up your shield, lift up your shield

Yeah you did what you had to, to lift up your shield, to lift up your shield

Everybody's got shield they use

It's made up of every cut and every bruise

It protects us for a little while

But we have to take the armour off before we let it sink us down

 

We can only try to do what we think the spirits wants us to, and I think the spirit wants you to be bold

 

You held your story in the light, and as I'm reading it tonight, I think of all the ones that go untold

 

We do what we have to, to lift up our shield, to lift up our shield

Yeah, we do what we have to, to lift up our shield, to lift up our shield

Everybody's got a shield they use

It's made up of every cut and every bruise

It protects us for a little while

But we have to take the armour off before we let it sink us down

Everybody's got a shield they use

It's made up of every cut and every bruise

It protects us when the arrows fly

But we have to take the armour off before we let it sink us down

Before the armour sinks us down