They told us hush.

They told us hush. They told us hide. They told us swallow What we felt inside. They told us shame Was what we wore. They locked the chapel. They locked the door. WOMEN (low, pulsing) Hush. Hide. Bend. Break. WOMAN They called it mercy. Called it grace. Left their fingerprints On every face. Said God was watching From above— But God looked nothing Like their love. WOMEN (stronger) We were named. We were blamed. We were scrubbed And rearranged. WOMAN But listen close— The walls can shake. Even stone Can start to break. You build a cage Out of prayer. You build a silence Out of air. WOMEN (rising rhythm) No more kneeling. No more small. No more halos Built to fall. WOMAN Magdalene sisters Don’t stay quiet. We were not born For holy riot— But you lit the match. You fed the flame. You gave our hunger Someone to blame. WOMEN (anthemic hook) Magdalene sisters Don’t stay quiet. We are the thunder Under the quiet. Magdalene sisters Stand upright. We are the shadow That learned to fight. WOMAN You thought confession Made us weak. You thought submission Kept us meek. But grief can harden Into steel. And silence learns To peel. WOMEN We are not shame. We are not stain. We are not bodies You can contain. WOMAN If we are fallen— Watch us rise. WOMEN (huge unison) If we are fallen— Watch us rise! WOMAN You can keep your Polished saints. WOMEN We will keep Our living names. FULL ENSEMBLE (final surge) Magdalene sisters Don’t stay quiet! Not anymore! Not tonight! Magdalene sisters Find their voice— And when we stand It is a choice! WOMAN (clear, steady) We choose. WOMEN (final punch) We choose. Massive drum hit. Silence.