Common is a recording artist, actor, poet and film producer from Chicago. John Legend is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor from Ohio.
Written for the movie Selma, this song was released on December 11, 2014 by Columbia Records. The song peaked at number 49 on the hot 100 and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
[John Legend:] One day when the glory comes It will be ours, it will be ours One day when the war is won We will be sure, we will be sure Oh glory [Common:] Hands to the Heavens, no man, no weapon Formed against, yes glory is destined Every day women and men become legends Sins that go against our skin become blessings The movement is a rhythm to us Freedom is like religion to us Justice is juxtapositionin' us Justice for all just ain't specific enough One son died, his spirit is revisitin' us True and livin' livin' in us, resistance is us That's why Rosa sat on the bus That's why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up When it go down we woman and man up They say, "Stay down", and we stand up Shots, we on the ground, the camera panned up King pointed to the mountain top and we ran up [John Legend:] One day when the glory comes It will be ours, it will be ours One day when the war is won We will be sure, we will be sure Oh glory Now the war is not over, victory isn't won And we'll fight on to the finish, then when it's all done We'll cry glory, oh glory We'll cry glory, oh glory [Common:] Selma is now for every man, woman and child Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd They marched with the torch, we gon' run with it now Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles From dark roads he rose, to become a hero Facin' the league of justice, his power was the people Enemy is lethal, a king became regal Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany Now we right the wrongs in history No one can win the war individually It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people's energy Welcome to the story we call victory The comin' of the Lord, my eyes have seen the glory [John Legend:] One day when the glory comes It will be ours, it will be ours One day when the war is won We will be sure, we will be sure Oh glory [John Legend:] When the war is won, when it's all said and done We'll cry glory, oh glory