[Verse 1] 6 AM Gray sky Coffee cold on the Red Line Grade book open on her knee Circling dreams in red and green Broken copier Busted clock Thirty kids in a room that rocks She learns their faces Lives And names Buys the tissues Pays with change [Chorus] They keep on loving in a loveless budget Keep on giving when the giving hurts From the South Side halls to the North Side stairwells They hold this city in a wrinkled shirt Overworked Underpaid Still they stay Writing futures in the margins every day Overworked Underpaid Still they stay (oh, they stay) Writing futures in the margins every day [Verse 2] Security guard at the metal door Knows who’s hungry by the way they walk the floor Lunch lady slipping one more tray “Baby Eat first Then you face the day” Social worker with a trembling hand Fills the gaps no policy can Principal praying that the roof won’t leak Buckets lined up when the clouds all speak [Chorus] They keep on loving in a loveless budget Keep on giving when the giving hurts From the West Side gyms to the Lakefront classrooms They hold this city in a wrinkled shirt Overworked Underpaid Still they stay Writing futures in the margins every day Overworked Underpaid Still they stay (oh, they stay) Writing futures in the margins every day [Bridge] Who taught the nurse to stitch your knees? Who taught the poet what words could mean? Who stayed late while your mama worked nights? Who walked you home by the traffic light? When the storms roll in Who stands out front? Taking all that wind at once Every cap and gown that graces June Started in a crowded room [Chorus] They keep on loving in a loveless budget Keep on giving when the giving hurts From the chalk-stained hands to the tired assistants They hold this city in a wrinkled shirt Overworked Underpaid Still they stay Writing futures in the margins every day Overworked Underpaid Still they stay (oh, they stay) Writing futures in the margins every day

funk, Dusty Chicago blues-soul with lo-fi rain ambience, male vocals. Clean guitar riff and warm Rhodes piano sit over a lazy funk groove; upright bass walks under brushed drums and soft vinyl crackle. Verses stay intimate and low, horn pads sneaking in on the back half; chorus swells with stacked harmonies and a simple, shout-along hook. Bridge leans into jazzier chords and call-and-response ad-libs, then drops back to voice and keys for a tender outro., soul, blues, jazz, lo-fi

Lesson Plans in the Rain