You may rob me of
The last inch of my land
Or deprive me of
A kiss on my mother’s hand

You may feed my youth
To the prison one day
Or deny my son a smile
Or a suit on his birthday

You may bulldoze my home
And cut my tree
Demonize me to take away
My right to be free

You may blow out my candle
In the darkness of the night
So I give up hope
And my will to fight

You may build a fence or a wall,
A real tall wall
To live or die
Like an animal about to fall

Enemy of the sun and the light,
Of the sea and the air
I won’t compromise or forget
Or concede nor despair

Till the last beat of my heart,
The last pulse in my vein
I shall resist and resist
And endure all the pain

With the stone in one hand
And the pen in the other
I shall throw, and speak
To every sister and brother

You may lie and cheat
And use every trick or deceit
But we’ll continue to resist and resist
With our hands and our feet