[Intro]
Mm
Mm-hmm
Mm

[Verse 1]
Stone walls held my shadow twenty-seven cold turns
Yet each quiet morning I rebuilt the name
Prison bent the years but never broke the flame
A purpose learned in darkness always burns

Days came slow as hunger in a narrow cell
I made of them a discipline of steel
Inch by stubborn inch I kept the vision real
Through the long endurance I learned to dwell

[Pre-Chorus]
Not the cage but the condition of my soul
That was the mountain I was climbing all along

[Chorus]
Persevere with purpose
Let patience teach the heart
Justice needs the courage
To finish what we start

[Verse 2]
When the high walls opened I did not raise a fist
Old wounds called for blood but I chose the bridge
A nation torn so long deserved no second edge
Revenge was never worth the ground we miss

Freedom won must ask how freedom was pursued
The methods carry weight beside the prize
A righteous end leans on the how and why
And what we hand the children comes from what we choose

[Pre-Chorus]
Not the triumph but the tenderness we keep
That is the harvest shining underneath the deep

[Chorus]
Persevere with purpose
Let patience teach the heart
Justice needs the courage
To finish what we start

[Bridge]
Stood alone with a nation’s heavy chain
Listened to the silence still we sang
One man’s steady stride across the ages
Became a whole land turning every page

[Chorus]
Persevere with purpose
Let patience teach the heart
Justice needs the courage
To finish what we start

[Outro]
Mm
Seek righteousness with care
Mm-hmm
Until the world is fair
Mm
Mm-hmm