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Let me tell you the story of a line that was held, |
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And many brave men and women whose courage we know well, |
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How we held the line at Peekskill on that long September day! |
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We will hold the line forever till the people have their way. |
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[Chorus (after each verse):] |
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Hold the line! |
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Hold the line! |
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As we held the line at Peekskill |
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We will hold it everywhere. |
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Hold the line! |
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Hold the line! |
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We will hold the line forever |
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Till there's freedom ev'rywhere. |
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There was music, there was singing, people listened everywhere; |
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The people they were smiling, so happy to be there - |
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While on the road behind us, the fascists waited there, |
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Their curses could not drown out the music in the air. |
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The grounds were all surrounded by a band of gallant men, |
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Shoulder to shoulder, no fascist could get in, |
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The music of the people was heard for miles around, |
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Well guarded by the workers, their courage made us proud. |
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When the music was all over, we started to go home, |
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We did not know the trouble and the pain that was to come, |
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We go into our buses and drove out through the gate, |
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And saw the gangster police, their faces filled with hate. |
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Then without any warning the rocks began to come, |
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The cops and troopers laughed to see the damage that was done, |
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They ran us through a gauntlet, to their everlasting shame, |
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And the cowards there attacked us, damnation to their name. |
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All across the nation the people heard the tale, |
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And marveled at the concert, and knew we had not failed, |
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We shed our blood at Peekskill, and suffered many a pain, |
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But we beat back the fascists and we'll beat them back again! |