"PAPERS, PLEASE"
“Papers, please,” in the land of the free, Show your name, your blood, your history
(Verse 1)
I used to walk these streets unafraid
Head held high, no need to explain
But now the boots are back, the whispers too
And they’re looking for someone who looks like you
They don’t knock, they demand, no room for doubt
In your own hometown, you’re a stranger now
They say it’s law, they say it’s peace
But all I hear is: “Papers, please”
(Chorus)
“Papers, please,” in the land of the free
Show your name, your blood, your history
Or disappear like a ghost in the breeze
This ain’t a dream — it’s happening, please
Don’t look away when they fall to their knees
When freedom dies with “Papers, please”
(Verse 2)
They came for the mother, the father, the child
Dragged from the schoolhouse, the church, the aisle
No charge, no trial, no crime in hand
Just the wrong skin tone in the wrong homeland
They build the camps, they write the laws
They dress it up in a noble cause
But ask yourself who’s next on their leash
When they knock and growl, “Papers, please”
(Chorus)
“Papers, please,” in the land of the brave
You’ll need permission just to misbehave
And if you speak, they’ll dig your grave
One ID short — no soul to save
Don’t turn your face when history flees
It starts so small with “Papers, please”
(Bridge)
It’s not just policy, it’s not just control
It’s a scar on the nation, it’s a toll on the soul
From the gulags to the checkpoints, the ghettos to the wire
We’ve seen this movie — we’ve walked through that fire
(Verse 3)
Now the buses roll and the silence screams
And the people vanish like faded dreams
What they build for them, they’ll use on you
That’s how these dark machines always do
So hold your neighbor, raise your voice
While you still have breath, while you still have choice
Before the silence becomes the lease
And all that’s left is “Papers, please”
(Final Chorus – Bigger, Louder)
“Papers, please,” the echo of chains
Rattling loud in a country insane
Don’t say later that you didn’t see
The writing was there, it was written on me
Freedom won’t beg, it roars and it bleeds
It’s dying now, whispering: “Papers, please”