GENUINE ARTICLE (I STAND ANYWAY) [Intro] Don’t judge my spirit From the shape inside my clothes Don’t call yourself kind If your kindness comes and goes No one stands above me I stand above no one But if you try to make me smaller Watch how tall I become [Verse 1] She looked me up and down Asked, “You play football before?” I said, “I’ll be the strongest In the whole world—I’m sure” Then she studied my appearance Like she saw inside my soul Said, “Make sure the inside’s good” Like judgment was her role I said, “I’m saved already Been that way for many years” You don’t know what I survived Or how my faith brought me here You saw shoulders Saw a hoodie Then invented who I was Made a verdict from a body Made assumption into law Then you smiled at someone else Turned around and looked at me strange I was helping someone with you Still your temperature had changed Some get called kind and amazing Till the room gives them a choice Then the honey leaves their smile And you hear the serpent’s voice [Pre-Chorus] I see it I know it I don’t need to make a scene I have lived through colder rooms Than any look you give to me [Chorus] I stand anyway Not because you told me to I stand because I know my name And what I came here to do I stand anyway Every morning, every shift You can watch my every movement You cannot measure my gift No one stands above me I stand above no one But if you try to make me smaller Watch how tall I become [Verse 2] At my job they want perfection With no increase in the pay Find a fault inside a mountain Then ignore the weight I raise Want me standing for each customer Like I never need to rest I am forty-three and working I still give them all my best But I’m human Not a fixture Not a tool upon a shelf You don’t get to take my labor Then define me for yourself You can manage an assignment That don’t make you more than me A position gives authority It does not give dignity Weak people borrow titles Then confuse the chair with height Hide behind a little power When they know the thing ain’t right They can write me up in pencil I was written somewhere higher Every petty expectation Puts another log on fire [Chorus] I stand anyway Not because you told me to I stand because I know my name And what I came here to do I stand anyway Every morning, every shift You can watch my every movement You cannot measure my gift No one stands above me I stand above no one But if you try to make me smaller Watch how tall I become [Verse 3] Don’t pour it on my head Then look me in my face And tell me that it’s rainfall Like I cannot tell the taste Call it policy Call it business Call it anything you choose Wrong wearing a name badge Is still wrong when it is used I’m not soft I’m not fragile I’m not weak because I care It takes power to stay decent When indecency is everywhere You are not threatened by my anger You are frightened by my peace By a man who knows his value And won’t crawl beneath your feet You can take away equipment You can move me from the floor You can try to hide my talent You cannot erase the source I adjust I learn I change Still you claim it isn’t right Maybe nothing I could give you Would satisfy your appetite [Bridge] Get up earlier Stand up straighter Not for them—for what you’re worth Let the morning find you ready Put your purpose into work You are watched So give them something They can never imitate Consistency when no one praises Character when people change Let them whisper Let them measure Let them search for one mistake You don’t owe them being flawless You owe yourself another day [Breakdown] I know the smile I know the switch I know the praise That carries a hiss I know the room I know the game I know a title Cannot make a name Call it what it is When it is what it is Truth without permission Still remains the truth [Final Verse] For years I wore the hoodie And the crowd looked through my frame Then I showed what I was building And their eyes forgot their shame No welcome No smile Till the evidence appeared Now they stare at what they overlooked Like I should want them near I built calluses from moments That were meant to make me fold Now their coldness cannot break me It just gives the song a soul I put pain inside the rhythm So the next one knows I see Every person being judged By what a stranger thinks they’ll be The tide will flip It always does The hidden will be known But when the whole world says I’m worthy I’ll remember I already was [Final Chorus] I stand anyway Not because you told me to I stand because I know my name And what I came here to do I stand anyway Every morning, every shift You can watch my every movement You cannot measure my gift No one stands above me I stand above no one But if you try to make me smaller Watch how tall I become [Outro] Genuine article No costume No disguise You judged me from a moment I was worthy the whole time
