You can profile me,

Based on gender, race, or size

You can call me by many names,

But still, like the sun, I’ll rise

 

Does my courage frighten you?

Why are you so shy?

‘Cause I walk with shoulders pressed back

And a head held high

 

Just like a hot air balloon

With guidance’s eyes,

Just like water spewing from a fountain,

Still I rise

 

Do you want to hear me crying?

Watch my self-esteem decrease?

Smell my failure in the air

Feel the happiness cease.

 

Does my optimism scare you?

Don’t always feed on negativity

‘Cause I smile like I’m looking forward

To the life I’ve got in head of me

 

You can spread hundreds of rumors,

You can lead yourself where selfishness pries,

You can try to cut me off from friendships,

But still, like heat, I’ll rise

 

Out of the love of my heart

            I rise

Up through the clouds of the sky

            I rise

 

I’m a hurricane, rumbling from beneath

Expanding, near the shore I breathe

 

Leaving behind my sorrow and grief

            I rise

Into a lifestyle filled with hope and belief

Bringing the memoires of friends left behind

I am the dreamer of a world so kind

            I rise

I rise

I rise