By Penny Shipp and Jon Dell Jaramillo
For the queer, the lost, and the exiled soul
[Intro] (Soft ambient drones, distant bells, whispered voice)
They wore no medals,
Only silence
No monument,
Just ash and violence
But I remember
I speak their names
They live in me—
Unburned by flame
[Verse 1]
Some were cast out, some disappeared
Some walked away with blood and fear
Some kissed goodbye in whispered code
Some fell beneath the weight of roles
[Verse 2]
Some prayed in closets, fists held tight
Some bore their shame through endless night
Some danced in alleys full of fire
And left their truths in cracked barbed wire
[Pre-Chorus]
They weren’t saints, they weren’t divine
Just human hands and stolen time
But every one who wouldn’t choke
Wore defiance like a crown of smoke
[Chorus]
Crown of smoke
Lifted high
For every time they made us hide
For every rule we had to break
For every step we didn’t fake
Crown of smoke
On trembling heads
For all the things we should’ve said
They tried to erase our hope
But we still wear the crown of smoke
[Verse 3]
They taught us silence was survival
But silence buried every rival
So now we scream, we howl, we roar
We plant our roots in sacred war
[Bridge] (Rhythmic chant with harmonies and rising drumbeat)
For the queer, the lost, the exiled soul
For the ones who paid with love and toll
For the burned, the banned, the pushed aside
Your crown is here—your name survives
[Final Chorus]
Crown of smoke
Lifted high
We rise for you, we testify
We march with grief, with songs unchained
With ash on cheeks and holy flame
Crown of smoke
We don’t forget
You gave us voice, we’re not done yet
You lit the torch, we bear the yoke
And wear your crown—
Your crown of smoke
[Outro] (Ambient swell + fading whispers)
They live in us…
They live in us…
The crown still burns.
Queer Translation Collective 