Rémi Du Chemin - Silent Witness Lyrics

[Intro]
Sirens in the distance, my mind's still stuck in '06
Young eyes watching papa stand there, hands against the bricks

[Verse 1]
Frozen in the backseat, watching through the window pane
Badge numbers and blue lights, burning in my brain
They made him spread his fingers, face against the wall
While I counted every breath he took, trying not to fall
Power-drunk officers, checking papers twice
"Sir, you fit description" - same old tired lies

[Chorus]
Can't wash away these memories, they stain like India ink
Every time I close my eyes, I'm back there on that brink
Forty-five minutes feeling helpless, watching papa stand
While they tried to break his spirit, but they don't understand

[Verse 2]
F*ck their protocols and profiles, targeting our kind
Generational trauma running deep inside my mind
Papa held his head up high, dignity intact
While they searched through all his papers, looking for the facts
I learned more that evening than school could ever teach
About the system's poison and the freedom out of reach

[Bridge]
Now I turn that pain to power, let it fuel my flame
Transform these chains to wings, won't let them break our name
Static on the radio, echoes in my head
But papa's quiet strength speaks louder than what's said

[Verse 3]
Years later still processing what went down that night
How they tried to crush his soul, but couldn't dim his light
Now I paint these pictures with my words and with my sound
For every father, every son who's been pushed around
This beat's my revolution, these bars my battle cry
For every time they made us feel we had to justify

[Outro]
Still see that young boy watching, heart about to break
But now he's grown and stronger, got some shit to say
Won't let them write our story, won't let them set the scene
'Cause dignity's our birthright, and freedom's what we mean