This is the third song in a series featuring Uncle Sam as the protagonist. The first introduced him as a swaggering, pro-democracy advocate; the second cautioned soldiers to remember their oath to the Constitution; this one rallies citizens to protect the republic.
The central message of the song is the sentiment expressed by Justice Louis Bradeis that “The most important political office is that of the private citizen.”
We are the last line of defense against fascism; it’s up to us to step up and defend the country.
Lyrics
Top hat high, boots loud.
No crown, no cult, just a contract.
And the highest office in this land?
Citizen.
Step up.
I don’t need your silence, I need your signature stride,
Your sleeves rolled up, your neighbor at your side.
You are the headline, the lifeline, frontline grin,
The ballot is the start, now report for Citizen.
Read your precinct, learn your budget, map your ward,
Know the school board clock and the courthouse door.
File the records request, take notes, name names,
Make power show receipts, play lawful games.
They sell a throne; I sing the chorus: We begin.
The fate of the republic is in the office of Citizen.
I want you, Citizen, to serve the highest Office in the land.
Not just a vote; be the daily promise held in hand.
Hold that line, hold that note; show up and take a stand.
Citizen, rise, organize, make truth your marching band.
From street to school board, from newsroom to the stand,
We keep the oath alive when citizens expand.
If ICE rolls up to snatch a law-abiding friend,
Call it what it is when the badges pretend.
Stand calm, stand clear, phone out, press “record,”
From a safe, legal distance, don’t block, don’t board.
Ask for names and numbers; say the time, street sign,
Catch the license, the uniforms, keep a steady line.
“I do not consent to a search”; teach them that phrase,
Hand them rights cards, film the scene, save the plays.
Back up the footage, share with counsel, keep your cool,
We fight with light, not fists; law is the tool.
No secret police in a nation of laws,
We answer with cameras, witnesses, and cause.
I want you, Citizen, to serve the highest Office in the land.
Not just a vote; be the daily promise held in hand.
Hold that line, hold that note; show up and take a stand.
Citizen, rise, organize, make truth your marching band.
From street to school board, from newsroom to the stand,
We keep the oath alive when citizens expand.
Pack the forum, stack the questions, speak in threes:
“Value, story, policy, answer me please.”
Record the answers; after, send the mail,
Post the clip with fact links; detail never fails.
If they ghost constituents, schedule your own,
A people’s town hall with a borrowed phone.
Ten calls a week, short, sharp, precise,
Then show up again; accountability is twice.
From the back row to the speaker list, show up, Citizen.
Sign up, stand up, follow up, do it again.
Subscribe to local news; keep the watchdog fed,
Back the nonprofit newsroom when budgets shed.
Read past the headline, check the source twice,
Share the correction, starve the clickbait slice.
Send tips with documents when patterns look steep,
Archive the files, mirror links for keep.
Protect reporters in the crowd when tempers rise,
Film the scene, hold space, quiet the lies.
Teach friends verification before they post,
A Citizen chorus keeps daylight the most.
Protest, yes, then widen the arc.
Get the rally permit, make safety the mark.
Poll-work dawns, canvass til night,
Jury duty truth, mutual aid light.
Teach a teen the process, train a team to care,
Knock five doors, make one aware.
From library boards to election lines,
A Citizen keeps the oath alive.
Who holds the line?
(Citizen!)
Who reads the sign?
(Citizen!)
Neighbor, Witness, Voter, now an Organizer!
Show up, stand up, follow up, grow wiser.
I want you, Citizen, to serve the highest Office in the land.
Not just a vote; be the daily promise held in hand.
Hold that line, hold that note; show up and take a stand.
Citizen, rise, organize, make truth your marching band.
From street to school board, from newsroom to the stand,
We keep the oath alive when citizens expand.
My name is Sam.
Poster to pavement, lantern to law.
No idols. No shortcuts.
The republic lives where you show up.
Sign the duty book.
Highest Office: Citizen.