[Intro]
Twenty-five candles on the courthouse steps
Names carried softly where the silence rests
A morning changed the shape of every prayer
But still we stand, still we meet it there
[Verse 1]
From harbor cranes to wheat-field towns
We lift the fallen, we don't bow down
A folded flag, a handwritten name
A promise kept through wind and rain
[Pre-Chorus]
Strength is more than steel and stone
It's carrying the grief back home
Justice walks with a steady hand
And asks us all to understand
[Chorus]
America, hold the line
Through the bitter years, through the hard-won time
For every soul, for every scar
We remember who we are
America, brave and true
The oath still lives in what we do
With heavy hearts and voices raised
We honor those whose light remains
[Verse 2]
Boots in the dust and boots on deck
Letters tucked beneath a uniform check
Mothers wait by a kitchen door
Fathers count the miles once more
[Pre-Chorus]
Courage isn't free of fear
It means we choose to persevere
No easy road, no borrowed claim
Just truth pursued in freedom's name
[Chorus]
America, hold the line
Through the bitter years, through the hard-won time
For every soul, for every scar
We remember who we are
America, brave and true
The oath still lives in what we do
With heavy hearts and voices raised
We honor those whose light remains
[Bridge]
Let the drums speak for the gone
Let the dawn find us still strong
Not for vengeance, not for pride
But for the truth we keep alive
Twenty-five years, and still we say
Their names will never fade away
[Final Chorus]
America, hold the line
With a steadfast heart and a clearer mind
For every soul, for every scar
We remember who we are
America, justice leads
Strength in mercy, strength in deeds
With heavy hearts and voices raised
We honor those whose light remains
[Outro]
Twenty-five candles, morning air
A nation grieving, standing there
We carry forward, side by side
With truth and courage as our guide