(You Gotta) STAND UP
(Carroll)



When the tyrants taunt you and the sirens tease
You better stand up
Let the brave meet the challenge, let the weak meek flee
Oh, you better stand up
When you’re tired of begging, saying pretty please
That’s the time you’ve got to finally get up off of your knees
When you can’t see the forest for the burning trees
You gotta stand up

When you been sitting so long you got the creaky knees
You gotta to stand up
I think your driving wheel’s been leaking grease
Boy you better stand up
There’s a whole lot more of us who know what’s right
They’ll go right on ignoring us if we keep sitting tight
We’ve got to open up the window to let in some light
You gotta stand up


We’ve got to rise up, you’ve got to stand up
You’ve got to stare the devil straight in the eye
We got to let him know it’s his turn to go
And see it clear when all you hear is a lie

So get up off of of your butt, come down off of the fence
Even if it ain’t a very friendly audience
They’ll begin to listen when you start making sense
And you stand up

No need to point your rifle to defend your town, just stand up
You know they can’t deny you what you’re laying down
Oh, you better stand up
Show your face of every color yellow, black, red, and brown
This is the place where every lost child can finally be found
There’s only one thing to do before we stand our ground
And that’s stand up





Well the founding fathers saw a land for all
They had to stand up
They had a keen imagination for a crystal ball
Drawing all the plans up
But all they had to go on was the time they were in
With other causes for the laws and sins that weren’t even sin
They knew that change was gonna come before the change could begin
They had to stand up

They had to stand up, We’ve got to stand up
We’ve got to stare the devil square in the eye
We got to let him know it’s his time to go
And make it clear when all we hear is a lie

While you’re lying awake wondering where the money all went
It’ll be the cost of freedom that’ll go unspent
You can see them flee the scene of that experiment
When you stand up

We’ve got to speak up, we’ve got to reach up
And raise your voice in every way you know how
Don’t be toes up, you gotta show up
Ain’t no better time to do it than now

No need to pledge allegiance to a wanton tribe
Rise up and show obedience to the voice inside
Listen well and it’ll tell you not to run and hide
It says “Stand Up”

Got to stand up
Just stand up
Everybody gotta stand up
In the darkest hour
People got the power
Come on, come on
Stand up

(c) 2020 ASCAP, Jonathan Carroll / Ordinary World Publishing