i'm not going down

there's a time for your surrender, and a time to lay it down, there's a time to come out swinging, to get up on your feet and stand your ground, you gotta know when to wait in silence, on your knees with open hands, you gotta know when to take up arms, cross the river and take the promised land, i'm not going down, i'm rising up, i'm gonna stand my ground, and i won't give up, oh no, and i'm not going down, like a man who knows he's drowning, pulled down by the undertow, you try to swim against the tide, weighed down by a heart of stone, you gotta kick to keep on breathing, you gotta push to stay alive, gotta take the light we're given, and hold it like a fire against the night, i'm not going down, i'm rising up, i'm gonna stand my ground, and i won't give up, oh no, i'm not going down, i'm not going down, i'm not going down, i'm not going down, it's not by might, it's not by power, but by my spirit, says the lord, and it's not by might, it's not by power, but by my spirit, says the lord, it's not by might, and it's not by power, but by my spirit, says the lord, i'm not going down, i'm rising up, i'm gonna stand my ground, and i won't give up, oh no, i'm not going down, i'm rising up, i'm gonna stand my ground, and i won't give up, i won't give up, i'm not going down, like a flower beneath the concrete, pushing up under the weight, to put a crack in the back of the pavement, and break through into the light of day