Suffs: The Musical Soundtrack Album Lyrics

Welcome, gentlemen!
God bless our great republic,
God bless our grand old flag,
God bless the land of freedom we hold dear.
And the heartbeat of that land will always be the home,
And that, of course, is woman's sacred sphere.

We nurture every family just as we're meant to do,
So won't you let us nurture the nation, too?
Let Mother vote, we raised you after all.
Won't you thank the lady you have loved since you were small?

We reared you, cheered you, helped you when you fell.
With your blessing we could help America as well.
Let Mother vote, we'll keep our country clean.
We'll tidy up our politics until they are pristine.

We wash out any stain in society's domain.
So well -balanced government, fresh baked with decency.
Two cups of moral fiber, add a dollop of good grace,
Mix in maternal instinct and the world's a better place.

Let Mother vote, let Mother vote, we'll nurse the USA.
Until corruption, greed, and vice are sweetly swept away.
We'll deploy domestic skills To cure domestic ills
So Mr. Won't you please let Mother vote?

Cos we gave birth to old A.Blingan and Robert E. Lee
Babe Ruth and Woodrow Wilson
We bounced him on our knee
We brought you all these brilliant guys
Don't we deserve a little prize?

Let Mother vote!
Don't worry, it's all right
We'll still be there to hold you close
And tuck you in at night
It won't disrupt your lives
We'll still be loyal wives
So mister, won't you please let mother vote?

Let mother vote!

We'll vote like father, vote like son
And two good votes are better than one
So please, please
Please, dear old mother of mine
Let your all American mother vote!

Let Mother vote, just hold your fury in
Maybe Carrie's right, and that's the only way we win
She sounds just like my father
Please Alice, have some sense
Don't you know that no one likes a girl who's too intense
Don't get so defensive Alice, don't be so aggressive
Settle down, you're too obsessive
I've heard it many times before
But I don't wanna hear it anymore

I don't wanna have to compromise
I don't wanna have to beg for crumbs from a country that doesn't care what I say
I don't wanna follow in no footsteps
I don't wanna be a meek little one in games they play

I wanna march in the street
I wanna hold up a sight
There's millions of women with passion like mine
I wanna shout it out loud In the wide open light
Till our generation has made things right

Yes, I wanna know how it feels
When we finally finish the fight

Should I try to take the lead alone?
What is probably impossible?
Well my ideas just dwindle and die
Try to remember what your mother taught you
When you're deep you're bending it, you can't quit
Till it runs dry

You've gotta kick down the doors of the mightiest man
Till they never dare to deny us again
You've gotta disrupt their deeds
Make a fire ignite
No heart in a wreck It won't play but light
Just picture the look in their eyes
But we finally finished the fight

Don't say goodbye to the world
My mother and grandmothers know
Will I truly be able to change it?
Well if not me then who?
So I'll make my own team
And I'll raise up my head
Till we're rewriting the law of the land
And we'll all swirl our flood
Purple, gold, and white
The centuries of silence will ebb at night
I'll be there on the day,
When we finally finish the fight,
I'll be there on the day, when we finally finish the fight.

Hou
Alice!
Thank God
I got your telegram and came as soon as I could
What's the emergency?

The first protest march ever held in our nation's capital today

Two months from today, so there's no time to waste
Welcome to our new office You remember the suffrage march planning committee?

Holy cow, how many in it?
Counting you?
Don't say two
Two
But Alice, we're not in college anymore
We've never planned a national action before

Nope
How will we do it when it's never been done?
How will we find the way where there isn't one?
How will we find a way?
Find a way
We've got to find a way
Find a way

First pursuit is to recruit Inez Millholland
The Inez Millholland?
The papers call her glamorous, dazzling, all the things I'm not
We need a public face It's gotta be Inez Millholland

I'm Alice Paul, and this is my best friend Lucy Burns
We were field hockey teammates at Swarthmore
Office defense?
Wow, okay Sporty
Why don't we have a smoke?
Oh yes, we adore cigarettes

It's really nice
We want you to be the grand marshal of our suffrage march
Miss Paul, I'm far too busy with the bar
She'd rather get licked than fight for our liberty
I'm studying for the bar exam
Oh, that's marvelous
We could use your legal skills to procure our permit

This march is unprecedented
How so?
It's on Pennsylvania Avenue, a day before the inauguration
We'll make every front page with a picture of you leading the pack on horseback
I should be riding
My steed should be white, a feminine reclaiming of the armored knight

Of course
Where the hell are we getting a horse?
How will we do it when it's never been done?
How will we find a way where there isn't one?
How will we find a way?
Find a way
We've got to find a way
Find a way

I want you to meet someone
A socialite, a socialist
Bruja Vin Slavska
Bruja Vin Slavska?

My fellow workers, we must strike
Came from Poland when she was seven
We must strike for safe conditions
In a mill since she was eleven
This is her fight too Not just us fortunate few

They'll listen to her
Strike!
Not to you
Strike! Strike! Strike!

That was a great speech
Bruja, this is Alice Paul from the suffrage movement
Suffrage is votes for women
I'm Polish, not stupid
Look, I've won no part of your polite little suffragette parlor games
Well, that's perfect because when we take on a tyrant, we burn him down
Or they march

How will we do it when it's never been done?
How will we find a way where there isn't one?
How will we find a way?
Find a way
We've got to find a way
Find a way

Get up on the soapbox
Stand there

Wait my turn, when will you white women ever learn?
I had the same old talk with Carrie Chapnickat 20 years ago.
I thought you might be better, but you still don't know.
You want me to wait my turn, to simply put my sex before my race.
Oh, why don't I leave my skin at home and powder up my face?

Guess who always waits her turn, who always ends up in the back?
Us lucky ones born both female and black.
Wait my turn, while I sure don't see you waiting yours.
There is no you're preaching, we demand it now, while knocking down locked doors.
But you want me to wait my turn, so you don't defend your southern base.
Since when does a radical lover fit bigots in the first place?

That's not leadership, Alice, it's cowardice.
I hear you quote Frederick Douglass on your soapbox,
Intending to include and impress us.
But in the press, you play down our involvement,
And here behind closed doors, you attempt to suppress us.
Deeds lock words as the button on your jacket.
I'm so sick of rhetoric with no action to back it.
If you don't have the spine to stand with us now, what will it take?

You do have a choice, there's always a choice.
Which one will you make?
Don't you dare tell me to wait my turn.
In truth, it's not your call.
Either I march with my own state delegates, or I don't march at all.
I'm not here to suit their gift, that is none of my concern.
I won't beg for your approval, which I shouldn't have to add.
So no matter what you tell me, I will not wait one more minute for my turn.

Mama, they don't even want us here. Can we go?

Child, since when do we do what they want us to?
It's like I always say, when we show up,
We show up for all of us.

And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go.
Say it. And so, lifting as we climb,
Onward and upward we go.
Come on, let's march. Let's.
And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go.

Mister President, hear our cry
(Mister President, hear our cry)

We the women of the country
(We the women of the country)
We the women of the country

We demand to be heard
(We demand to be heard)

We demand to be seen
(We demand to be seen)

We demand equality
And nothing in between
(Equality)

We demand to be heard
(We demand to be heard)

We demand to be known
(We demand to be known)

We demand a voice of our own

(We demand an amendment
We demand an amendment)

We demand
(We demand an amendment
We demand an amendment)

I've never felt so alive before
(Out here together)

I realize I'm not alone anymore
I feel a part of something
Bigger than me
(Feel a part of something bigger)

Something bigger exploding away
I feel my word about to change
I want to feel it change

We demand to be seen
(We demand to be seen)

We demand to be heard
(We demand to be heard)

We demand our dignity
Will never be deferred
(Our dignity)

We demand to be seen
(We demand to be seen)

We demand to be known
(We demand to be known)

We demand a voice of our own
(We demand an amendment
(We demand an amendment)
We demand an amendment)

We demand
(We demand an amendment)
We demand an amendment
But then,
A mob of sneering men storm the street

Oh no
(Oh no)

Retreat
(Retreat)

Hundreds of hooligans
Spit and jeer
Grabbing my hair
Smacking my rear
Will we make it down the avenue in one piece

Where are the policemen?
(Where are the police?)

Get back
(Get back)

Make way
(Make way)

You're not stopping us today
(Not today)

Get back
(Get back)

Step aside
(Step aside)

Won't let you break our stride
Let's push our way through
The thoroughfare

(Mister President, hear our cry)

Inch by inch, we'll make it there

(Mister President, hear our cry)

I want my mother to know I was here
I want my sisters to know I was here
I want my great-granddaughter to know
I was here
(I was here)

I want my students to know I was here
(I was here)

I want my niece to know I was here
(I was here)

I want your great-granddaughter to know
I was here
(I was here)

I was here
I was here
I was here
I was
I was here
I was here
I was here
I was here
I want your great-granddaughter to know
I was here
I was here!

We demand to be heard
We demand to be seen
We demand equality and nothing in between
Equality

We demand to be heard
We demand
We demand to be known
We demand to be known
We demand a voice of our own

We demand to be heard
We demand to be seen
We demand equality now!
Last Update: June, 09th 2024

T's just that at the march, this old man called me a bitch.
Oh, Dory.
Congratulations, your first vehicle!
But isn't bitch a bad thing?
That's what they want you to think.
I'm a great American bitch.

I refuse to wear corsets and lace.
I earn my own wages and burst into rages when men say, "Know, your place."
My boss tried to fondle me under my skirt, so I kicked him like this in the crotch, where it hurt.
I got fired.

But hey, I'd rather be right than rich, cause I'm a great American bitch.
She's a, she's a great American bitch.
I'm a, I'm a great American bitch.
I'm a great American bitch.
A queen bitch, I seduce whoever I please.

I fornicate freely, and some say I really bring gentlemen to their knees.
I proposed to a Dutchman, we're wedded in bliss, cause he doesn't mind who else I might kiss, though most of the time I prefer to scratch my own itch.
Cause I'm a great American bitch.
She's a, she's a great American bitch.
She's a, she's a great American bitch.

Alice, Alice, when are you gonna let me set you up with one of Eugene's friends?
Oh please, they wouldn't be interested.
You mean you wouldn't be interested.
Lucy, your turn.
Hey! I'm a great American, I'm sorry, honestly, I just don't love that word.
Come on, we'll do it together, get up.
You're a great American bitch.

Well, thanks.
I've known it since sophomore year.
Not this story.
When Professor McMaller said, only male scholars could manage a Doctor's career.
He drove this expensive new Ford Model T, so I scratched it all over with my bedroom key.
But Lucy went further.
I may have pushed his car into a ditch.

Why?
Cause I'm a great...
If they called you an act...
I'm a great American bitch.
Yes you are.
Once I cut my own hair.
One time I took out a library book and never returned it.
I swear.
Young lady, your childhood hath only begun.
We'll train you, ordain you, thank God, but run!

Ladies, God bless the ladies,
No one adores ladies more than I.
As the father of three daughters,
As the husband to a wife,
I do not know who I'd be without the ladies in my life.
Ladies, when you're with ladies,
You can enjoy your sacred duty as a man.

In this chaotic world we're in,
Thank God some comfort can be found whenever a lady is around.
It isn't wise to weigh down women with the worries of the day.
Our female wants to focus on her family anyway,
So be kind and let her mind be fully feminine and free.

It's only fair when they're the burden of responsibility.
Ladies must be protected, they rely on us to supervise their lives.
As a leader guards his people, every man must do his share.
We must take care of our ladies.

Take care of the ladies.
It isn't moral to make mothers all on matters of the state.
Their heads weren't meant for hard and heavy national debate.
In politics, pollutes aren't ladies' lives, I'm scared to say.

We'll sacrifice virility and compromise fertility and threaten the stability of the USA.
So ladies must be commanded, they require a man to manage their affairs.
We must keep them safe at home, afar from evil, far from greed.
We must keep them in our arms where their freedoms guaranteed.

So why would ladies vote?
We provide all that they need.
We must respect and protect a final eternal gracious, vivacious ladies.

June 5th, 1913, our first meeting with President Wilson.

Ladies, you have my utmost admiration.
But as a man of my word,
I must honor the promises of my campaign.
Currency revision.
At -at -at. Tariff reform, sir.

Oh, yes.
Tariff reform.
Issues affecting all Americans.

But Mr. President.

Here she goes.

Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Such a bright young girl.

To not understand your administration has no right to legislate tariff or any other reform without the consent of women.

Forgive me, ladies.
I'm afraid I have no opinion on the merits of the subject as it's entirely new to me.

We'll be glad to educate you.

Sir. Sir.

This will receive my most careful consideration.

April 6th, 1914.

Another excuse from President Wilson.
Forgive me, ladies.
The economy.

August 8th, 1914.

Forgive me, ladies. Congress.

May 12th, 1915.

Forgive me, ladies. Lusitania.

June 1st, 1916.

Tariff reform.

Hold on, sir.
You said that exact same thing three years ago.

My other time flies.
You're right. Indeed, it is an election year again.
I must turn my concern to earning the votes of the country's people once more.
But perhaps I'll put in a good word for suffrage in my campaign speeches this summer.

Excellent. We'd love to draft that language with you.

My chief of staff will escort you to the door and, darling, won't you give them a tour?

Now take care, ladies.

What will my life look like if I wasn't so consumed by this?
I see women with their children in the park and I feel a little ache.
Is knowing that kind of love really something I'm willing to miss?
And will I feel like a failure no matter what choice I make?

Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?
Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?

How would it feel if I could really rely on someone
Who would brew me up a cup of tea to calm my worried head?
Part of me thinks I don't deserve a family till my work gets done.
Can you really lead a revolution and still be home in time to put your baby to bed?

Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?
Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?

Would I only resent him for holding me back from making my dreams come true?
Would I only grow guilty and selfish, feeling perpetually torn between the two?
I'm stubborn as hell, so how could anybody even love me enough to stay?
How could I bring a child into this broken world anyway?

I remember my mother, circles under her eyes, cleaning up my mess.
How did she relentlessly surrender so much of herself for me?
I wish I could ask her, was it worth it?
But if it wasn't, would she ever confess?

Should I make the opposite sacrifice to be who I need to be?
Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?
Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?

Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?
Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?
Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?

Take wife and motherhood, put them high, high up on a shelf.
If I don't give my all to my calling, I'll never forgive myself.
I swear I'll make it worth it.

If we were married, I promised to cherish you just as a gentleman should.
If we were married, I promised to forfeit my legal autonomy for good.
If we were married, we'd buy our own acre of land for our own little house.
If we were married, our possessions and property would solely belong to the masculine spouse.
If we were married, if we were married.

If we were married, we'd fill out our family and life would be simply sublime.
If we were married, I'd churn out your children 'cause contraception's a federal crime.
If we were married, we'd save up a nest egg to cushion us later in life.
If we were married, my earnings would be in your name and I couldn't control my own spending or open a bank account or sign a contract or hire a lawyer because economically speaking I'd die by becoming your wife.
If we were married, if we were married.

You've got to admire the ease with which men can squeeze us into such a rigid role.
You do.
Daughters are taught to aspire to a system expressly designed to keep them under control.

For instance, if we were married and you physically beat me, that wouldn't be illegal to do.
What?
Can you believe it is 1916 and all of these things are still actually true?
I suppose I never stopped to think about how it would be for you.
If we were married, if we were married.

We stand united in sisterhood,
Working together on the same team,
Younger and older, joining as one,
Shoulder to shoulder for the same dream.

Well, well, well, look who's finally become a member of NOS.
Oh, no, I'm only in town for tomorrow's NAACP conference.
Care to give a quote for the Chicago Daily?
You can quote from my address as distinguished guest speaker.

So you've agreed to speak at your hundredth white women's convention?
Are you just here to sow dissension?
Don't you resent that you're a prop,
They trot out at events, NOS represents a rich little Negro mascot,
Come here and preach.
See, we have no race hatred,
We let Mary make a speech.

If I didn't speak, they wouldn't even mention race.
I tolerate their system,
'Cause that's the only way they'll ever listen to our case.
Oh, and their system wants you dead?
What then?
I can't have this out with you again.

Why are you fighting me?
I am not the enemy.
Ladies, a photograph please.
We stand united in sisterhood,
Working together on the same team.

Before our formal program continues,
Let's entertain a brief diversion from our junior Washington DC committee.
Vote Wilson out!
Vote Wilson out!
Vote Wilson out!
Vote Wilson out!

My fellow Sufs, that should be NOS's rallying cry this fall.
It's time to show Wilson NOS's Sufs are the vanguard of the future.
It's time to show him we're not just some gaggle of irrelevant old fogeys.

This girl, this entitled little...

Calm-down Carry,

But this girl, this Alice Paul.
What gall to call me an old fogey.
Since when am I an old fogey?
She thinks I'm obsolete, she oughta kiss my feet.
I lit the way for her, but no, she thinks she knows better.
Don't let her get to your head, focus on your speech instead.

What was I thinking enabling her?
I should've heeded the doubts I had from the start.
She's undeniably smart but so misguided.
I've labored for decades to craft a conservative image for suffrage,
But she makes us look like a horde of hysterical harpies,
With smoke blowing out of our ears.

What if she ruins what I have been mounting for years?
I did not count on this girl.
This girl.

I can't believe I am now viewed as the old guard,
And she, as the beacon of change.
Me, the old fogey.
How strange.

This girl.
Not this girl, raised by a penniless drunk,
Who refused to send her to school.
Not this girl who paid her own way through college,
Proving she's nobody's fool.
Who worked as the first woman superintendent,
Harassed by her boss, but managed to thrive.
Who married a man for a good reputation,
Then found herself widowed at age twenty-five.

Not this girl who flouted all feminine customs,
By joining the fight for the vote.
Not this girl who followed the lead of the movement,
Hiding her anger beneath her petticoat.
Who rose through the ranks,
By paying her dues,
And earned her place at the top.
Who transformed and expanded the organization,
And she's yet to see.

Not this girl you see before you now,
Who stands by each move that she's made,
This old fogey's time has come,
Dolan's time has come,
I want my whole goddamn life for respect for my sex,
And I will no longer allow this arrogant child,
To imperil our chance to be free,
Not me, not this girl!

East and united in sisterhood, working together on the same team.
What was that?
What was what?
Oh, Carrie, drop the act. You just publicly implied I'm a disloyal disgrace.
This is not the time or place. If you have something to say, say it to my face.

Alice, you wrangled your insurgent circus in my name and on my dime,
But I've let you flout me for the last time.
I worked for the movement, not for you.
Then why are you tearing the movement in two?

It's been torrid before I was born.
So why do you refuse to work a better way?
Says the girl born yesterday.
Why are you fighting me? I am not the enemy. I'm not the enemy.
I refuse to be your bitch. I expect your resignation.

Ladies, a photograph please.
We stand united in sisterhood, working together on the same team.
All on the same team, younger and older, younger and older.
Shoulder to shoulder, shoulder to shoulder, shoulder to shoulder.
For the same dream.

How will we do it when it's never been done?
How will we find a way where there isn't one?
So what just happened?
Did Kenny kick you out or did you quit?
As in kick us out of NASA altogether?
Yes!
How will we afford our travel?

How will we raise any money?
Have you even thought of money?
How will we-
We can do it!
How will we do it when it's never been done?
I want us to meet someone.
A socialist, a socialite.

Alba Belmont.
Alba Belmont?
I divorced my husband for philandering.
Now I've got his millions for philanthropy.
You really think she'll give her money to a radical squad?
Every worthy cause needs a rich old broad.

Alba Belmont, I'm Alice Paul.
No, I know who you are, doll.
We're starting a women's political party.
Yeah! We'd love for you to join it.
You mean you'd love for me to fund it?
Oh, that would be great.

Let me get this straight.
You gals just stood in front of the suffrage establishment,
And the national press, no less,
And declared political warfare on Wilson and his party,
While the country's on the brink of war itself.
And now you shamelessly demand my riches of me
For this risky rebel goo.
The nerve of you.
I love it!

To whom do I make out the check?
The women's party.
She'll be the national women's party.
Gives it more oomph.
Women's party is sharper.
Is the SD enough to cover your plans?
National women's party it is.
Now wait, I tick!

You capitalist elite
Really want to exploit your working class
To promote your own dominance?
Ooh, I like you.
You really put the rage in suffrage.
Yeah, what's your name, darling?
Brujah Rosie B.
You're a good little socialist and socialized.
That's right, but that's neat.
Cause I've got a surprise.
Close your eyes, Rosie, close your eyes.
Open Sesame.

Welcome to your new NWP headquarters,
Right across the street from the White House.
It's you, huh?
Now I'm on board.
Now go head out west on a radical spree.
How can we ever thank you?
Someday you'll name it after me.

I know it's dark. I understand, of course, you're on the edge.
You're deep in pain, you feel insane, and no one can talk you off the ledge.
But that's exactly how those crooked kings want you to feel.
So take a breath with me and please allow yourself to heal.

You are the bravest person I've ever met, but bravery means that you can't die yet.
So are you going to let them win, or will you show them who you are?
Show them you're not insane, at least not like this.
Show them who you are. Show them you're not some whimper they can just dismiss.

You think your nerve is the source of your strength, but the strongest thing is to stop before you go too far.
So show them who you are.
Show them. Show them who you are.
Show them. Show them who you are.
Last Update: June, 10th 2024

Vote him out for your daughter, for her future.
Get out and vote, get out and vote, get out and vote, get out and vote.
Vote him out for your sister, stand up with her.
Get out and vote, get out and vote, get out and vote, get out and vote.
Vote him out, we the people have the power.
Get out and vote, get out and vote, get out and vote, get out and vote.
Don't lose hope, we can win this. Are you in this?
Get out and vote, get out and vote, get out and vote.

November 7th, Election night
Colored lights have been installed on the Capitol Dome to signal the winner.
What color do we want again?
If Wilson wins red, if we win blue
Come on blue, come on blue, come on blue.
They might as well lie down and die.
But the polls haven't closed in California, don't give up so fast.
It's not over till the last vote is cast.
Alex, Lucy, did you hear?

Did you hear?
We'll hold a rally first thing.
He has to speak, where's he ness?
Vote him out for your...
I don't like the world as it is, do you?
There are too many weary minds and hearts in it.
To tell you in person.
Tell me what?

Too many children with sad eyes.
Too many souls that die before the body dies.
Alice, the doctor said she was anemic.
And she knew she'd been ill for several years.
Where is she?
Don't you think women want to change these things just as much as men do?
Don't you think we've waited long enough?
How long must women wait for liberty?

Say it with me.
How long?
How long?
How long?
How long?
They tried to revive her.
She was too weak from overexertion, and her body just couldn't take the stress.
So, she obliged her.
It can't be.
It can't be any other photograph.
Except the one from the march.
The one of her in her crown and cape, where her eyes are like fire.
I'll go wire it to every paper.
Make sure she's seen.
I need to plan a memorial fit for a queen.
I'll go make a call, see if I can book a statuary hall.
I'll go write up a release.
Make sure they know she's only 30 years old.
Make sure they know that she's our hero.
Make sure they don't spell her name wrong.
It's M-I-L not M-U-L.
Millholland.
Inez Millholland.
Inez Millholland.

She was enchanting, magnetic, unapologetic
It was almost annoying how easily she seemed to shine
You could hide nothing from her
She read you like a book

She'd have been wrecked by the results of this election
But she'd have poured us a drink
And reminded us not to lose hope
She knew her smile was all that it took

The last thing she said was the question
We're now asking over and over as we look back
As we look forward

How long must women wait for liberty?
How long must we wait?
Must we wait?
Must we wait?

She went into trial, a laugh on her lips
She once told me discouragement only excited her
So brilliant a speaker we can't afford to lose

She belonged to life
To the struggling actuality of the earth
I used to wish I could be in her shoes

With her voice ringing out
The centuries seemed like repetitions
Of an ancient song, singing:
How long must women wait for liberty?
How long must we wait?
Must we wait?
Must we wait?

How many more marches in the streets?
How many more efforts gone to waste?
How many more deafening defeats?
How many more histories erased?

How many more dignities deferred?
How many more told to know our place?
How many more girls will go unheard?
How many more doors shut in our face?
How many more Joans burned at the stake?
How many more of us will it take?

How long?
How long?
How long til it's too late?
Will we wait?
Will we wait?

We won't wait another day
We won't wait another day
We won't wait another day
We won't wait, we won't wait, we won't

We won't wait another day
We won't wait another day
We won't wait another day
We won't wait, we won't wait, we won't

We won't wait another day
We won't wait another day
We won't wait another day
We won't wait, we won't wait, we won't

We won't wait
We won't wait
We won't

We won't wait
We won't wait
We won't

I won't forget that frigid January morning,
When my heart was in my stomach at the president's front door.
I could barely feel my toes, but my spirit was on fire,
With the thrill of trying something no one's ever done before.

I could feel my shoulders tighten, so unsure how this would go.
But we vowed to keep a vigil here to let the old men know.
The young are at the gates, the young are at the gates.
Open up the futures here, the young are at the gates, the young are at the gates.

The young are at the gates, tear a meal or time is near, the young are at the gates.
At first we feared we were too few to keep this going.
How could such a little army go on standing in the cold?
But day by day more women came from all corners of the country.

I could feel a hum of hope, each time a new one joined the fold.
We got nurses from Virginia, college girls from Michigan and Idaho.
And we weren't all young, you know.
We got workers from the factory, teachers from New York, even Mary Church Terrell came through.

I brought my daughter too.
And what started as a dozen turned to hundreds within weeks.
Standing there we stand, you stares with icy air upon our cheeks.
Though not a word was spoken, our volume only grew as winter turned.

We never left the avenue.
The young are at the gate, the young are at the gate.
Open up the futures here, the young are at the gate, the young are at the gate.
The young are at the gate, the young are at the gate.
Do you really need your time to speed? The young are at the gate.

April 6, 1917, Wilson declares war on Germany.
Alice, we can't do this anymore.
If we go out there now, they might arrest us.
They might. But Inez died trying to finish this fight. So are we going to give up?

Or are we going to make damn sure her sacrifice was worth it?
I won't forget that muggy April morning.
As we took our place, a crowd of scowling men began to form.
Ten policemen lurked nearby, holding billy clubs and smirking.
I could feel a start to panic, like a fast approaching storm.

But then suddenly we felt it, like a mighty cannon blast.
Every cost and battle lost of every generation passed.
So we rose up in defiance, yes we chose to risk it all.
For our sisters' silent voices, let the patriarch evolve.

The young are at the gate, the young are at the gate.
Come and get us if you dare, the young are at the gate.
The young are at the gate, and we'll be at the gate.
Until you open up your eyes, until the world will realize.
The old way always dies, the young are at the gate.

Dear Mr. President,
I address you today in an open letter in the Washington Post.
For seven years I have served you with the most humble affection and unshadowed devotion,
So it is no small sacrifice for me now to sever our political relationship.

But I think it is high time that men of this generation, at some cost to ourselves,
Stood up in support of the women of the country.
For if men had been peacefully demanding our right to vote for over half a century,
If men had been repeatedly ignored or met with evasion by Congress as have the women,
You, Mr. President, as a lover of liberty,
Would be the first to understand and forgive their natural impatience.
And righteous indignation, I took a vow to defend the Constitution,
And I may not be a great man, but I am a man who upholds his vows,
So I hereby resign to take effect at once, or at your earliest convenience.

I'd also like to make known my esteem for the woman,
For the women who opened my eyes to this inequality,
Respectfully yours,
Deadly Malone.

In nays, this is my prison mess hall.
You will sit down, shut up, and eat your food.
For nature, we are political prisoners and we refuse.
If one of these girls has another damn word, knock her teeth out.
Now, eat your food.
Don't touch the food.
When will we eat?
Not till they release us.
What?
Quiet, eat your food.

Hunger strike.
Strike.
Guards.
Strike.
Strike.
Strike.
Strike.
Guards, shut them up.
Strike.
Strike.
You won't last the night.
Hold it together, see it through.
Don't let despair get the best of you.
Push down the pain, thicken your skin.
Hold it together, never giving in.

God bless our grateful public.
God bless our grand old flag.
God bless the land of freedom we hold dear.
Let mother serve.
We're here to help the war.
We'll conserve our food to feed our soldiers even more.
'Cause the kitchen is the key to US victory.
So Mr. won't you please let mother serve.
We'll now take a recess for tea.

Are you alright?
I just need air, I'm fine. I'm fine.
Perhaps the problem's with your spine.
Molly, would you stop it?
If we fall in line about the war, you'll see.
We'll get the president to finally hear our case.
So please drop it.
But the Carrie I know would never condone this carnage.
If you don't like it, go join Alice Paul in jail.
Is this about bending Alice Paul or winning the vote?
Which do you care about more?

What a coward you become.
Fight your own war.
Don't let your age get the best of you.
Push down the pain, thicken your skin.
Hold it together, never givin'.
Ruzia, no! Stay strong for Inez!

Get her name out of your mouth!
Was killing her not enough for you?
How dare you say that to her!
Her manner is Inez kept fighting, even though she was tired and sick.
So we owe it to her to do the same.
Alice, it's been a week, I'm losing my mind!

Don't worry, Wilson will be shamed into a pardon as soon as word gets out.
He's letting women die of starvation.
Oh, how comforting.
Drum the moment Vivi met.
You promised me we would burn him down.
We will!

But it is five years later!
He is still in power!
Our friend is dead and now we are dying in prison!
She's not talking anymore!
She's not talking anymore!
Why are you fighting me?
I am not the enemy!

That's enough!
Start! Take him away!
Zepia, stay put. Your husband is here.
Husband? Good God!
What have they done to you, Miss Stevens? I mean, Mrs. Malone!
Hello, darling. I am here on behalf of the Chief of Police.

How many more thrown in nameless graves?
How many more falsely charged with crime?
How many more whipped and shot like slaves?
How many more murdered in their prime?
How many more pamphlets must I write?

How many more threats must I withstand?
How many more lynchings must I cite?
How many more times must I demand?
How many more years off of my life?
How many, till I'm a grieving wife?
How long, till it's too late?

Will you wait? Will you wait?
Don't be foolish. Good night, Professor.
I won't wait another day.
I won't wait. I won't wait. I won't wait my turn.
But decades of defiance take their toll.
Sure, I'm always speaking true to power.

But I do not feel alone.
Each time I'm told to wait my turn, it's like my every nerve has been exposed.
Why can't I be more like Mary and keep myself composed?
Have I been too prone to wait my turn? Have I been too polite?

God, I wish I had her courage. How does she burn so bright?
Am I risking far too much? Could this be my last sojourn?
Will we ever win this fight? Will the country ever learn?
Will I ever live to see it?

Or will I survive in time to take my turn?
Or will I survive in time to take my turn?

Mr. President,
I have the report on the conditions in the prison just as you requested.
This ought to debunk all the baseless claims that the women are being mistreated.

Good, I trust I won't be disappointed.

No sir.

Oh God!

What is it?

We are providing the ladies with excellent care.
A doctor came and dragged me out of my bed.
Their treatment includes artificial feeding.
He smiled and said that I must be fed.
The ladies receive it without resistance.
I turned and twisted all I could,
But they threw me on my back and strapped in my arms and legs.

There is no force necessary.
They try to pry my mouth open with pliers
And I try to clench my teeth shut,
But they shove the tube down my throat and up my nose.

The ladies are offered fresh milk and eggs.
They pour raw eggs through the tube to my gut.
They experience no discomfort.
Everything went black.
I didn't know where to breathe from.
The ladies are the picture of health.
They withdrew the tube and I bled out my nose, out my mouth, so much blood.
Then they leave me there, very sick,
Choking and gagging all night long.

The ladies are nourished by three meals a day.
We are forcibly fed three times a day.
I must say they take this well.
Don't let them tell you we take this well.
Don't let them tell you we take this well.

In conclusion, the ladies are well taken care of
And all rumors in the press of physical abuse are entirely false.

But sir, the problem remains of what to do about their leader Alice Paul.
They took Alice away,
Will not tell us where,
Have not seen her in days.
Terribly worried.

Someone ought to commit her to an asylum.
She does exhibit symptoms of hysteria
Such as verbal displays of opinions in public,
A failure to marry and conceive.
Ladies must be protected.

I know it's dark. I understand, of course, you're on the edge.
You're deep in pain, you feel insane, and no one can talk you off the ledge.
But that's exactly how those crooked kings want you to feel.
So take a breath with me and please allow yourself to heal.

You are the bravest person I've ever met, but bravery means that you can't die yet.
So are you going to let them win, or will you show them who you are?
Show them you're not insane, at least not like this.
Show them who you are. Show them you're not some whimper they can just dismiss.

You think your nerve is the source of your strength, but the strongest thing is to stop before you go too far.
So show them who you are.
Show them. Show them who you are.
Show them. Show them who you are.

You think I'm insane. Well, maybe it's true.
You'd have to be out of your mind to fight like I do.
I know I'm intense.
It's just how I cope in a world that's gone crazy.
Am I crazy too?

All I've ever wanted is to change things for the better:
For my mother, for my friends, for every loud little girl like me,
For the freedom that I dream of.
I would do anything, but should you have to die to be free?

You think I'm insane.
Certifiably nuts.
You call it hysteria, I call it guts.
Is it so insane to want my own choice?
Wouldn't you be hysterical if you had no voice?

All I've ever wanted is to change things for the better:
For my mother, for my friends, for every loud little girl like me.
I know I made a million mistakes along the way, but if it's all been for nothing,
All our heartache every day, if our fighting and hoping and dying has been in vain,
Then I'll go insane. I'll go insane. I'll go insane.

Look alive inmates, you're getting released.
Alice Paul is relentless, but she's surely not insane.
I see no cause to commit her.
Alice Paul tortured in prison.
Prison letters have leaked to the press.
I leaked the letters to the press.
This is the first I'm hearing of this!
Sir!
You're both fired.

I'm sorry.
Shut up, Paul!
It's time we burn him down.
Molly, you came.
I'm only here for the cause.
Ladies, let the fire, let the fire, let the fire rage on.
Let the fire, let the fire, let the fire rage on.

Thank you for finally sharing a cup of tea with me.
That, Mrs. Cat, is what I love about you, so polite.
Right, oh God, are you about to set that thing on fire?
Don't you want to burn him? Want to burn.
Let the fire, let the fire, let the fire rage on.
Let the fire, let the fire, let the fire rage on.

Dear, you must understand,
My hands are full with making peace in foreign lands.
So let us discuss this when there's less on my plate.
It'll have to wait till next time.
Now is the next time, pardon.
Here she goes, look outside your window.
They burn you in the street.
You can't keep locking them up.
You know they'll just refuse to eat.

Calm down, Carrie, there's no need to be angry.
Angry girls with matches won't force my hand!
So shake my hand instead.
That's quite enough.
Good day, for I have always led an organization of ladies,
Of proper ladies who have made the proper plea.
So use me, give us the vote, and you can credit my cooperation.
Give us the vote, and all those angry girls will go.

Do you?
The fire, the fire rage on.
The fire, the fire, the fire rage on.
Rage on and on and rage on and on and rage on and on and rage, rage, rage.
Let the fire.

Thank you to the Speaker of the House for giving me the floor to address all of you today.

As I have always, always said, we ought to let mother vote.
She raised us after all.
Won't we thank the ladies we have loved since we were small?
It won't disrupt our lives.
They'll still be loyal wives.
So Congress, won't you please let mother vote?

But let it be known that the voices of foolish agitators in the streets did not reach me at all.
It was rather the voices of the patriotic ladies whose service lies at the heart of the war.
And I know how much stronger their heart will beat if you give them this thing.

You vote like father, vote like son, and two good votes are better than one.
So Congress, won't you please let mother vote?

Miss Paul.
Mrs. Cat. It's been a while.
For years I could just die.
After all this time,
She and I in the same state with nothing to do but wait.
This is the dress I've been planning to wear if we win,
And plan to put it on before results are in. Bold.
I only took it out to iron it.
So it appears you mean to burn that old flag if we lose.
No, we sew a new star on this flag for each state we beat.
Tennessee would make it complete.
And you've already sewn it on?
Not yet.
Should I curse or cry?
After all this time,
She and I in the same state
With nothing left to do but wait.
I hope you realize if we lose,
It will be due to the backing you cost us by picking the president during the war.
I hope you realize if we win,
It will be despite the power you lost us by bowing to the president during the war.
I made allies.
I took action.
Who cares who gets the credit or the blame?
What matters is the work gets done.
Says the woman who has started writing suffrage memoirs when we haven't even won.
She hasn't changed.
She hasn't changed at all.
She'll never know.
Should I just go?
I know you think I'm this arrogant kid,
But I've just always known it's my calling to see this movement through.
And I can't stop moving till I do.

Carrie, you were this girl
When you first arrived as a fiery young leader-to-be,
Raging at elders and raring to go.
Then when Susan said you were off track,
You played by her rules,
As you have ever since.
But Alice never held back.
So isn't it wild?
After all this time,
I feel like a parent made to reprimand my child,
But who is rather pleased to have her do what I always wanted to.
Rebel daughter and careful mother,
Maybe she and I always needed each other.

Alice.
I...
I...
What?

The Tennessee State Senate is hereby called to order to vote on ratification of the Woman's Suffrage Amendment.
I will now call the roll.
Anderson!

Please, God, make him flip, make him flip!

Nay! Bill!

Please, God, make him flip, make him flip!

Nay!

Excuse me, I'll have a telegram for Senator Byrne.

That's me.

Telegram for you, son.

Order! Order! Burn!

Please, God, make him flip, make him flip!

Burn?

Dear Harry,

I've never sent a telegram before.
I drove all the way to town in a downpour,
So I sure hope this reaches you in time for your vote today.
I'm real proud you hold that office, and Son,
There's something I must say.

Your father gave his life in the Great War three years ago.
I know I'll be kicked out of Muckman County for saying so.
I hate this president for making him go,
And I wish I'd had the right to vote him out.

Now, I know I'm just an old farmer, milking cows in Tennessee,
But I read the paper and I've seen the women marching to be free.
They made me think that maybe I could hop a train to Washington DC and march too.
Only I was home raising you, so I did my best to teach you what I knew.
Now your own little girl is nearly three.
What do you want her future to be?
Will you vote for her, my son?
Let your mama know she raised a good one.
And oh, I made that meatloaf you like, so come on home when you're done.
Burn, burn for Christ sakes, burn!
We did it with lots of love.

Mama

I've never felt so alive before.
Out here together, I realize I'm not alone anymore.
I feel a part of something bigger than me, something bigger.
It's opening.
I feel my world completely changed.
I finally feel it change.

Hello, Ida Well, speaking!
It's Mary here with Phyllis in Nashville.
Mary, what happened?
It passed.
They did it.
We did it.

Go on now, tell me how much easier this all would have been without my troublemaking.
Not this time.
I bet all the white ladies were crying rivers, huh?

Oh, they sure were.
But me and Mama, we danced our way right out of the state house, didn't we?
Your mama dancing?
Now I would like to see that.
I like to dance Okay!
They'll still stop our women from voting,
Same as they do to our men.
I know, but I'm so tired of fighting.

And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go. Say it, Mama.
And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go.
And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go.

I want my mother to know I was here.
I want my sisters to know I was here.
I want my great-granddaughter to know I was here. I was here.
I want your mother to know I was here.
I want your children to know I was here.
I want your great-granddaughter to know. I need her to know I was here.

If we were married,
I'd promise to fight for your rights until death do us part.

If we were married,
I'd promise to put down my work when you need me to tend to your heart.

When we are married,
I'll love you, although it will render me legally dead.

If we married,
You'd always exhaust me, but God, how I wish we could really be wed.

If we were married.
When we are married.
If we were married.
When we are married.
Last Update: June, 10th 2024

I want to raise up a glass,
I want to bask in the light
Now our generation makes things right
Just think how much more we could do
We can finally finish the fight

What?
Alice

Let's demand an amendment, let's demand a brand new amendment
Why stop at suffrage?
Why not push for complete legal equality?
We could call it something like the Equal Rights Amendment
Oh, the ERA for short, that will fit better on banners

Doris, will you write this down?

For seven years I have served you with the most humble affection
An unshadowed devotion
And I kept a record as you said
Now I want to write my book about us

How can you write a book when there's still work to do?

So girls will grow up learning what we did

So they can learn how hard it was and never try again

So they can learn how hard it was and know it can be done

Doris, let the record show, I'm proud of you

August 26th, Doris Stevens dedicates her forthcoming book to Alice Paul

As long as we're on the subject of next steps, I have news
I want to act on the bay
For once I want to do a thing that brings others joy
I want to represent my people on the greatest stage in America
And yes, that is what Ruzav and Slavska actually historically did after this
Look me up

Do you remember that rally back in college when we met?
I never told you this 'cause I know you'll be upset,
But it was actually by accident that I was even there.

I happened to be headed to the grocery store across the square
When you made me stop to hold your banner while you yelled at that cop.
Then before I could protest, we were under arrest.
Remember how he only had one pair of cuffs,
So he cuffed us together like I was one of the suffs?
And ever since, I've been here by your side
'cause I just really love being along for the ride.

But I've done my time. I fought my last war.
I'm not marching anymore.
Please don't try to change my mind
'cause I'm sure I'm not marching anymore.

For the last ten years, we've marched and we've thrived.
We've planned and we've screamed. We've starved and survived.
We beat every odd and my God, look at all that we've won.
But I'm tired and sore. I've settled my score. I'm not marching anymore.

Let the next girl have her world changed forever on her way to the store.
I'm not marching anymore.

But I hope you know, even though we haven't, even though you didn't,
Even when you drove me to my wits end, the best thing I've ever been is your friend.
Sorry if you never knew that before. Alice, I'm not marching anymore.

But I'll never be far from you.
You'll find a way, you always do.

[ALICE]
Me, the old fogey
How strange...
This girl

[ROBIN]
I don't wanna have to compromise
I don't wanna have to beg for crumbs from a country that doesn't care what I say
I don't wanna follow in old footsteps
I don't wanna be a meek little pawn in games they play
I wanna march in the street
I wanna get on the mic
And stand with my sisters to stir up a strike
I wanna cut through the noise
And make a fire ignite
Till our generation has made things right
Yes, I wanna know how it feels
When we finally finish the fight

[ALICE]
You won't live to see the future that you fight for
Maybe no one gets to reach that perfect day
If the work is never over
Then how do you keep marching anyway?
Do you carry your banner as far as you can
Rewriting the world with your imperfect pen
Till the next stubborn girl picks it up in a picket line over and over again?
And you join in the chorus of centuries chanting to her
The path will be twisted and risky and slow
But keep marching
Keep marching
Will you fail or prevail, well, you may never know
But keep marching
Keep marching 'cause your ancestors are all the proof you need
That progress is possiblе, not guaranteed
It will only be made if we keep marching, keep marching on
Keep marching on

[ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALICE]
Keep marching on

[ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALL]
And rеmember every mother that you came from
Learned as much from our success as our mistakes
Don't forget you're merely one of many others
On the journey every generation makes
We did not end injustice and neither will you

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Neither will you

[ALL]
But still, we made strides, so we know you can too

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Know you can too

[ALL]
Make peace with our incomplete power and use it for good
'Cause there's so much to do

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
So much to do

[ALL]
The gains will feel small and the losses too large
Keep marching
Keep marching
You'll rarely agree with whoever's in charge
Keep marching
Keep marching 'cause your ancestors are all the proof you need
That progress is possible, not guaranteed
It will only be made if we keep marching, keep marching on

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALL]
Yes, the world can be changed

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
We've done it before
So keep marching

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching
We're always behind you, so

[ALL]
Bang down the door
And keep marching

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching
And let

[ALL]
History sound the alarm of how
The future demands that we fight for it now
It will only be ours if we keep marching, keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALL]
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Keep marching on