[Verse 1]
Two hundred fifty candles burn
On the same hard road we learned
From river mud to courthouse stone
We built this place with hands of our own
Steel in the farms, sweat in the mill
Names in the dust, but the debt got filled
From east to west, from shore to shore
We keep that promise, keep asking for more
[Pre-Chorus]
Raise it high
Let it fly
Hear that cry
Across the sky
Old blood, new day
Stand and say
[Chorus]
Long live the Republic
Long live the Republic
Under eagle wings
We stand as one
We stand as one
And the old bell sings
Long live the Republic
Long live the Republic
Hear the whole land ring
[Verse 2]
Boot heels on the courthouse steps
Little kids running, red dirt swept
Moms in the porchlight, dads at dawn
Praying we hold what we were born on
Blue in the cloth, gold in the grain
Fire in the lungs when we say the name
Not made of stone, not made of pride
Made of the folks who kept it alive
[Pre-Chorus]
Raise it high
Let it fly
Hear that cry
Across the sky
Old blood, new day
Stand and say
[Chorus]
Long live the Republic
Long live the Republic
Under eagle wings
We stand as one
We stand as one
And the old bell sings
Long live the Republic
Long live the Republic
Hear the whole land ring
[Bridge]
From the first hard line in the dust
To the future we trust
If the wind turns mean
We still hold the seam
Hand to hand
Heart to heart
We don't fold
We do our part
[Final Chorus]
Long live the Republic
Long live the Republic
Under eagle wings (under eagle wings)
We stand as one
We stand as one
And the old bell sings
Long live the Republic
Long live the Republic
Hear the whole land ring
Long live the Republic
Long live the Republic
Long live the dream (long live the dream)