Cape Flats Rise

Chorus

From the Flats out to the world I rise

Cape Town blood running through my eyes

They stack their walls up I stack my sound

Heart of the peninsula I ain't backing down

Mitchells Plain Hanover Manenberg Belhar

Chasing a tomorrow reaching for the far

Out of the grit watch the roses grow

This one's for the people let the whole map know

Verse 1

Born in the cage where the wind cuts cold

Two colors in the frame are the hurt and the hold

Sirens sing me a lullaby slow

Another kid gone 'fore the streetlights glow

My cousin got a corner and a hollow stare

Trading tomorrow for a pocket of air

But the youth dem tired we refuse to fold

A different chapter getting written getting bold

They hand us a script full of grief and blame

We tear it in half and we light up the flame

Pre-Chorus

Every scar on the pavement tells a story

Every mother's prayer a quiet glory

So when they ask me where I come from

I stand up tall I don't run

Chorus

From the Flats out to the world I rise

Cape Town blood running through my eyes

They stack their walls up I stack my sound

Heart of the peninsula I ain't backing down

Mitchells Plain Hanover Manenberg Belhar

Chasing a tomorrow reaching for the far

Out of the grit watch the roses grow

This one's for the people let the whole map know

Verse 2

The oke on the block put the strap away

Now he teaching the small ones how to code and play

The sister turned her ache to a plan

Soup on the stove feeding every man

We don't wait on a handout we raise the bar

From the pots of Hanover to the fields of Belhar

Peace march moving loud and clear

Not in our name for the coming year

Every life that we save is a battle won

Every future we build is a race begun

So don't call us broken we just make repairs

Planting seeds of change through the dust and the prayers

Pre-Chorus

Every scar on the pavement tells a story

Every mother's prayer a quiet glory

So when they ask me where I come from

I stand up tall I don't run

Chorus

From the Flats out to the world I rise

Cape Town blood running through my eyes

They stack their walls up I stack my sound

Heart of the peninsula I ain't backing down

Mitchells Plain Hanover Manenberg Belhar

Chasing a tomorrow reaching for the far

Out of the grit watch the roses grow

This one's for the people let the whole map know

Bridge

Scars on the pavement they speak of the fight

But the pulse of the people is a brand new light

We the children of the struggle the sons of the dawn

The ones who decided to carry it on

No more silent crying in the dead of the night

We turning all our hurting into something bright

So when they ask where we from we stand and we say

The Flats is our home and we here to stay

Chorus

From the Flats out to the world I rise

Cape Town blood running through my eyes

They stack their walls up I stack my sound

Heart of the peninsula I ain't backing down

Mitchells Plain Hanover Manenberg Belhar

Chasing a tomorrow reaching for the far

Out of the grit watch the roses grow

This one's for the people let the whole map know

Post-Chorus

Rise up rise up

Rise up rise up

For the mothers for the dreamers

Rise up rise up