ICE Out

Verse 1
Morning bell just rang, backpacks on the floor,
Crayons in the corner, spelling words on the board,
Teacher reads a name, silence in the room,
Hallway footsteps coming way too soon.
Mama said “be brave,” tied a ribbon tight,
Promised she’d be waiting here by tonight,
But the door swings open, badges cold and clean,
Something breaks where childhood used to be.

Chorus
Ice in the hallways, echo on the tile,
Paperwork heavier than a child,
Say it’s just the law, say it’s just the rule,
But laws don’t cry in the middle of a school.
Hands shaking, lunch still warm,
Dreams getting searched in uniform,
If this is justice, tell me why
It needs fear to testify.

Verse 2
Dad works doubles, keeps his head down low,
Pays his rent, keeps the garden rows in rows,
Knows the anthem, knows the streets,
Knows the sound of boots before he sleeps.
They say “don’t worry if you’ve done no wrong,”
But wrong’s a word that’s stretched too long,
When a life’s reduced to a case file name,
And mercy’s treated like a flaw in the frame.

Chorus
Ice in the hallways, clipboards like shields,
Drawing borders where the heart still bleeds,
Call it order, call it control,
But you can’t deport a child’s soul.
Backpacks left by lockers blue,
No goodbye, no time to choose,
If this is safety, explain to me
Who it’s protecting, ‘cause it’s not these kids I see.

Bridge
History’s watching quietly,
Taking notes in permanent ink,
Every time we say “just following,”
Instead of stopping to think.
One day they’ll ask what we allowed,
What we ignored, what we made normal now,
Did we look away, or did we say
“This isn’t who we claim to be”?

Chorus
No more Ice in the hallways,
No more fear dressed up as law,
A country’s strength is measured
By the mercy that it saw.
You don’t build a future strong
By tearing families apart,
There are lines you shouldn’t cross—
Especially through a child’s heart.

Outro
The bell rings again, the seat stays empty,
Name still written in chalk,
Some lessons don’t come from textbooks—
They come from what we let walk.