[Intro] More than a moment More than a sign Open the door Then reach behind [Verse 1] Late eighteen hundreds The old roles changed Cities kept growing And families changed New technology Lightened work at home More middle class women Found time of their own They entered colleges And widened the view Forty percent By nineteen ten too Teachers and nurses New careers came alive Women brought talent To the professional side From eighteen ninety To nineteen ten The female workforce Nearly doubled by then Education opened A new state of mind One woman stepped forward Then reached back behind [Chorus] Lifting as we climb Turning time into purpose Turning purpose into drive Lifting as we climb When one woman finds a doorway She holds it open wide Learn it Lead it Organize Raise the standard Raise more lives Step by step And side by side We keep lifting As we climb [Verse 2] They called her new woman Educated and free Building a life Beyond what others could see Jane Addams saw people The city ignored Then opened Hull House And welcomed the poor Chicago families Found help at the door Community service Could offer them more Her work helped establish A professional way Social work grew From the needs of the day Intelligence and energy Entered public life Women found purpose In confronting the strife Reform became action Not talk from behind Jane Addams kept lifting As others would climb [Chorus] Lifting as we climb Turning time into purpose Turning purpose into drive Lifting as we climb When one woman finds a doorway She holds it open wide Learn it Lead it Organize Raise the standard Raise more lives Step by step And side by side We keep lifting As we climb [Verse 3] Womens clubs gathered To create and connect Music and painting Built confidence and respect Then social conditions Came into their sight Clubs turned their talents Toward causes worth the fight Some white organizations Kept Black women outside So Black women built networks With power and pride Phyllis Wheatley Club In New Orleans served Classes and services Helped people be heard National Association Of Colored Women formed Mary Church Terrell Led the movement forward Homes and hospitals Suffrage in mind Their motto said clearly Lifting as We Climb [Bridge] Education Occupation Organization Legislation Open the school Open the door Open the government Then open it more [Verse 4] Women staffed libraries Schools across town Settlement houses Lifted families around They raised money And sponsored reform Protecting the people The system had harmed Labor laws guarded Women and youth Workplace inspections Put safety in view Pressure on Congress Made government respond Chill-drens Bureau Helped protection move on Food and medicine Faced stronger demands Widows and mothers Found more helping hands Working women organized In nineteen oh three Womens Trade Union League Pushed workplace equality Form a union Make employment fair Protect factory workers And the rights they should share Social and political Two forces combined Women changed the nation By lifting as they climbed [Final Chorus] Lifting as we climb Turning time into purpose Turning purpose into drive Lifting as we climb When one woman finds a doorway She holds it open wide Learn it Lead it Organize Raise the standard Raise more lives Step by step And side by side We keep lifting As we climb Lifting as we climb Lifting as we climb Every voice creates a path For another voice behind [Outro] Open the door Then reach behind Change the world By lifting as we climb
