#skirmish #political #rock #collaborationswelcome This could use another hour or so of editing to clarify the metaphor, and maybe tilt it more to a relationship song than a political diatribe. But, time's a-ticking on the skirmish. Initially posted as lyrics only. I'm not super-happy with the demo added 9/7 - I think it has terminal Phil Spector disease. Maybe a stripped down version would sound better. But there are verses, B sections, pre-choruses and choruses which might just be too busy and confusing. If anyone wants to take a shot at recording the lyrics in a different genre, I'd love it! The last chorus was also the starting point for this song - I was thinking about the Liberty Hotel in Boston, which was recycled from the old (1851) Charles Street Jail with its tall arched windows. Creative re-use of a prison for a palace.

**Stained Glass Walls ** © 2026 T. Higgins/raspberry33 for FAWM Fall Sprint #6

VERSE 1 We build them up with steel and concrete Layer by layer, taller each week A line in the sand, a lock on the door A promise of safety, and maybe much more

Some walls are paper, yet still defy flame Some are bold headlines, screaming our name Others are secrets, quietly whispered Made of origami, cleverly twisted

PRE-CHORUS And every wall we raise Throws a different kind of shade Are we happy with the choices we’ve made?

CHORUS Walls, we build them up, before we tear them down Trophies for the ego Shine the king’s crown But he’s built all his castles on foundations of sand And we’ve come to understand We don’t need more walls We need more windows

VERSE 2 There’s plywood between us with all we don’t say Concrete around places we were forced to give away The best walls have windows of red, gold, and blue Beautiful pieces of what we’ve been through

PRE-CHORUS Some walls will someday melt in the rain Some open like flowers when called by name

CHORUS Walls, we build them up, then add a burglar alarm Are we doing the right thing or causing more harm? When the walls start to crack on their foundations of sand Will we come to understand That we don’t need more walls We need more windows

BRIDGE A labyrinth winds through rooms in my mind With doors that are open and doors bolted tight What if the magic isn’t just standing tall But knowing where and when to open up the wall?

(Instrumental verse)

VERSE 3 Some walls protect the gardens we grow Some keep the wild from taking control Some hold in the music, the fire, the rain Some hold in a love we’re afraid to explain

PRECHORUS: But nothing is certain, no fortress is sound The strongest foundations can shift in the ground So I’ll place a doorway wherever I stand And build stained glass windows, Gothic and grand

FINAL CHORUS Walls, we build them up, we can tear them down Turn prisons into hotels, turn silence into sound Walls, they can keep us safe from harm But there must be windows to let the light through And doors to welcome strangers.

OUTRO A little wood, a little stone A little space to call our own A door unlocked, a sky revealed A wounded heart that chose to heal Let’s get real on walls By giving them more doors and windows.