“They can bury us, but they will find out we are seeds” – Macklemore and Palestinian artists release Hind's Hall 2

By Sammy Baroud

“We will be free in our lifetime. They can bury us, but they will find out that we are seeds.”

American singer and songwriter Macklemore released his highly anticipated song Hind's Hall 2 on Friday.

The pro-Palestinian anthem is the continuation of his song Hind's Hall, which garnered millions of views on YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms.

The song is named after Hamilton's Hall at Columbia University, which was renamed Hind's Hall by pro-Palestinian student activists in honor of Hind Rajab, the six-year-old girl who was brutally murdered by Israeli occupation forces in January, along with six of her family members and two paramedics who came to her aid.

Hind Rajab and the student protests – Unrolling love from the window

The song also features Palestinian-American artist Anees and 15-year-old rapper MC Abdul from Gaza.

The lyrics are powerful, with the main line in the chorus, sung by Anees: “In our lifetime we will be free, and they can bury us, but they will find out we are seeds.”

Empowering scenes

The music video for the song is also particularly powerful and shows numerous tragic and encouraging scenes from Gaza during the last eleven months of the genocide.

HIND'S HALL 2 VIDEO… All proceeds from the song go to @unrwausa
Video edited by Omar Alali pic.twitter.com/1BtWDZBdpX

— Macklemore (@macklemore) 20 September 2024

Also particularly effective is Macklemore's verse in which he glorifies the Palestinian resistance with the words “Long live the resistance, if there is anything to resist.” In the background of the music video, you can see old footage of the IRA (Irish Republican Army), Malcolm X, members of the Black Panther Party, as well as Gaza children throwing stones at Israeli tanks.

He also makes his other strong anti-Zionist beliefs clear when he says, “PC, for a minute I tried to be a bridge, but you'll never get freedom by pleading with the Zionists.”

Sign of solidarity

Macklemore also sends a message to Vice President and current Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris: “Hey Kamala, I don't know if you're listening, but stop sending money and guns or you're not going to win Michigan.”

This is not the well-known Seattle artist's first pro-Palestinian song, nor his first public sign of Palestinian solidarity.

Killing Hind – The six-year-old Gaza schoolgirl whose story shocked the world

Although he is neither Palestinian, Arab nor Muslim, he has probably been the most vocal mainstream musician on the genocide in Gaza since the war began.

Macklemore's powerful lyrics are not only a beautiful sign of solidarity, but also show the world that the Palestine issue is a question of humanity and that a person's origin or ancestry has nothing to do with where they stand on this issue.

According to the artist, as with the first song, all proceeds from the song will be donated to the aid organization UNRWA.

Read the lyrics here

In our lifetime we will be free
One day, when the light shines, we will be free
In our lifetime we will be free
And they can bury us
But they will find out that we are seeds
Oo-ohhh, Oo-ohhh
Oo-ohhh, Oo-ohhh
They can bury us
But they will find out that we are seeds

Verse 1: Anees
I say “Freedom for Falasteen” because I know about every massacre we have suffered
The Nakba, Sabra, Shatila, Rafah
My people have died millions of times in their struggle
Until they rise from the flood
Like a rose through the rubble
I see God himself in the eyes of a refugee
Who would rather die as a martyr than live a life under siege?
So if I am not allowed to say “From the river to the sea”
Then “Palestine will be free from the husk to the seed”
Yet they know they cannot shake us off
Billion dollar sword around the neck
Death cannot break us
And every Palestinian refugee has a key
One day we will return
No matter how long we need

Choir: Anees & Choirs, Macklemore
In our lifetime we will be free
One day, when the light shines, we will be free
In our lifetime we will be free
And they can bury us
But they will find out that we are seeds
Oo-ohhh, Oo-ohhh
Oo-ohhh, Oo-ohhh
They can bury us
But they will find out that we are seeds

Verse 2: MC Abdul
(Yes yes)
I have seen massacres, I am grateful to be alive
You appreciate life when you survive a genocide
Look into my eyes and tell me what you see
I'm out of tears, I can't cry, rap until Palestine is free
I have a problem with the system that doesn't want us to exist
Turn a city into a prison where living conditions are lacking
My mother calls and tells me she is a little scared
I hear the bombs falling, I smell death in the air
My uncle lost his children, I lost my cousins
While tears water her grave to let her know he still loves her
Our schools are becoming accommodation for rich and poor
I just pray for peace
When I speak, I do not wish for war
The bodies are lying around, that's nothing to laugh about
I give people hope because I am the first to do it
I'm just walking the path, that's God's plan
I build my dreams from the rubble I have touched with my hands

Choir: Amer Zahr & Choirs
In the course of my life
يلمع النور ومنكون حرين
In the course of my life
I have never come this far
From the river to the sea
Palestine will be free (Lauter)
From the river to the sea
Palestine will be free (Lauter)

Verse 3: Macklemore
You have now woken up the world
We know who you serve in the White House
To the children of Gaza I now swear
I will ride for your life as if you were my child
Long live resistance, if there is something to resist
I've had enough of you wankers murdering little children
PC, for a minute I tried to be a bridge
But there will never be freedom if you beg the Zionists
The world cries out: “Free Palestine”
We see the manual, we know how you colonized
You'd be surprised how much shit we don't actually care about
When you take away the power of the almighty dollar sign
Fuck the temptation, we boycott the stores
Capitalism is killing us, we cannot afford it
They want us to hate each other in the interest of war
Fear of the mosque and fear of lighting the menorah
Hey Kamala, I don't know if you're listening
But stop sending money and weapons or you won't win Michigan
We are non-binding and will not change our positions
Because the whole world turned to the Palestinians
I see the murdered children in Gaza and I see my babies
The bombs we build take our lives
When will Congress decide that the life of a Palestinian is as valuable as that of an Israeli?
We do not own the earth, we do not own the earth
We kill each other for drawing a few lines in the dirt
We bleed the same blood, feel the same pain
Are Palestinian lives worth the same?
What happened to us?
What happened to us?

Choir: Amer Zahr & Choirs
In the course of my life
يلمع النور ومنكون حرين
In the course of my life
I have never come this far
From the river to the sea
Palestine will be free (Lauter)
From the river to the sea
Palestine will be free (Lauter)

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Sammy Baroud is a young Palestinian-American sports journalist and aspiring footballer. He wrote this article for the Palestine Chronicle. Follow him at @sammybaroud