Sticks and Shields

[Verse 1]
Boots on the cobblestone
Banners held high
Old Ellen at her window
Says "this wind feels wild"
Kids on the railings
Chanting in time
Paint on their faces
Fire in their eyes
[Chorus]
Sticks and shields in a narrow street
Your line
Our line
Where they meet
You call it order
We call it fear
You push us back
We push right here
Sticks and shields in a narrow street
[Verse 2]
You march in helmets
Bright plastic wall
Hands on our shoulders
Trying to stall
"Turn back
Turn back
" your captain pleads
We answer in thunder
In crowded breath and speed
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[low vocal register] I see your jaw shake when my brother screams
Your freckles
Your frown
Not so far from me
But the orders bark sharp
And the night runs red
With the words we throw instead of bread [crescendo]
[Chorus]
[Outro]
Tin cups on railings
Still ringing out
Names in the smoke
Names in the shout
We stand
You stand
Neither side sure
Only this street
And this slammed door

folk, Fast reel tempo Irish folk with bodhrán, tin whistle, fiddle, and driving acoustic guitar; female vocals up front, raw and cutting. Verses spit story in tight phrases over pulsing drone; chorus explodes with gang shouts and stomps. Fiddle takes a short frantic break before final chorus, crowd vocals stacked and slightly ragged for pub-chant energy., irish folk, female vocals