No King

(Guitar Intro)

(Verse 1)

America has no king, no crown

to rule a nation 's mind,

no single voice should rise on dread

to claim all humankind.

Something stirs beneath the soil,

its echoing in the clay—

what’s built on bones won’t stay below,

it breathes still to this day.

No king…

No crown…

(Verse 2)

The treaties turned from word to ash,

their promises erased,

the Trail still winds through hist'ry's grief,

through every life displaced.

The children taken, re-named, erased,

then buried beneath the frames—

but from that ground the voices rise,

through living tongues and flames.

(Pre-Chorus 1)

You can hide the files, redact the names,

bury what they say—

but we all know what silence means,

and we won’t look away.

(Chorus 1)

No crown. No king.

No tyrant over me.

We rise. We shout.

We are the voice

they tried to bury.

No crown. No king.

We claim our history—

If we don’t stand now—

we become what we swore

we’d never be...

(Verse 3)

In strikes and songs and marching lines;

their banners torn but raised,

they fought to claim a stolen voice

through fire and the blaze.

The ballots, paid in blood and loss,

were kept from women’s hands,

still bound to stoves and shuttered rooms—

and called it “equal” land...

No crown…

No king…

(Verse 4)

In border homes their families grew,

papers came with terms,

in hunger’s grip the same fine print

was used to force return.

Children born on promised soil

were sent beyond its claim—

And still that drum keeps beating on,

we hear it just the same...

(Pre-Chorus 2)

You can call on cowards, fan the flame,

say they stole it away—

but we all saw the gates give in,

and truth won’t fade to gray.

(Chorus 2)

No crown. No king.

No tyrant over me.

We rise. We shout.

We are the voice

they tried to bury.

No crown. No king.

We claim our history—

If we don’t stand now—

we become what we swore

we’d never be!

(Verse 5)

A promise born from broken bonds

was twisted, torn away,

segregated lines were drawn

that bound them just the same.

But voices rose, the marches swelled,

their fire filled the age—

from every creed and every corner,

they took back center stage.

(Lead voice calls)

No King! No Crown!

We will not bow down!

No King! No Crown!

Your tyranny will drown!

(crowd repeats)

No King! No Crown!

We will not bow down!

No King! No Crown!

Your tyranny will drown!

(Bridge)

For rights of breath, of choice, of life,

the fight is living still,

they spoke of a woman’s right to choose,

then bent it to their will.

The courts may turn, the laws may shift,

but listen—hear it burn:

the truth outlives the hands in power,

and every age must learn.

(Pre-Chorus 3)

You can dress in suits, wash dirty hands,

swear the stain is clean—

when rich men hide behind their wars,

we all know what that means!

(Final Chorus)

No crown. No king.

No tyrant over me.

We rise. We shout.

We are the voice

they tried to bury.

No crown. No king.

We claim our history—

If we don’t stand now—

we become what we swore

we’d never be.

(Outro)

America has no king, no crown

to claim a people’s name—

but if we turn and look away,

we crown the rise the same.

So hold the line, defend the truth,

don’t let it slip from view—

each age must prove those words again…

or kings will rise anew. ______________________

I wrote these lyrics after writing the poem of the same name for No Kings Day 1.0.