Wake the Block

Intro

Heh, Westmin' whispers in the gutter, ayy (yuh)

Skrrt, sirens on the headlines, yeah

Alright, let's go — turn it up, turn it up

Verse

I spit on the podium where promises rot, (ayy)

Manifestos look like menus, sellin' the lot, (yuh)

Posters on fences, faces on phone screens, fake grins, (heh)

Campaign vans hummin' lullabies for broken limbs, (skrrt)

They count seats like trophies, paper crowns in the dust,

Meanwhile mum's queuein' at the food bank, trust is rust, (ayy)

NHS waiting lists like a backlog of scars,

Kids learnin' of futures through the glow of closed bars, (ooh)

Inflation's got the pantry on a diet of crumbs,

Rent's a sermon from the landlord, sermon hums, (yeah)

Strike flags in the rain, boots print the pavement cold,

Workers sing in the rain: numbers over gold, (let’s go)

They sell fear on the telly, cut the care like tape,

Talk tough on camera, then negotiate escape, (yuh)

Lobbyists in the lobby with velvet and paper clips,

Deal sticked in a handshake while the country slips, (ayy, ayy)

Chorus

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (uh)

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (uh)

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (ayy)

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (let’s go)

Verse

They teach cynicism in schools by example, no class,

Polished speeches on repeat while the public pass, (pass)

First past the post, first past the fraud, first past the fold,

Seat by seat they stitch the story that they've sold, (stitch, stitch)

Peering through peepholes at the lobby's private rooms,

Peers swapping favors while the pension fund fumes, (heh)

Red flags, blue flags, same paper, different ink,

Spin doctors smooth edges till the truth starts to sink, (yuh)

By-elections like fever checks for a broken crown,

Every pundit pronounces futures backwards, upside down, (say what)

Homeless on the doorstep, ministers on the doorstep too,

Snap a photo, shift the blame — PR glue, (click)

Promises like origami, fold and discard,

They bow to cameras, we bear the cost of their card, (ayy)

Green slogans, grey policies, climate on the line,

They plant a sapling in a carpark then call it fine, (no)

We ain't fooled by the jingles or the late-night spin,

This city's heart keeps beatin', loud, from within, (within)

Chorus

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (uh)

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (uh)

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (ayy)

Wake the block, wake the block, wake the block, wake the block (let’s go)

Verse

Check the margin notes on the backs of the bills,

Corporate logos where the peoples' will should sit still, (still)

Youth on the pavement with placards and cold hands,

Counting the cost of futures written by other hands, (count it)

They call it r