From the Songbond library

We Were Always Here

SongbondPride

0:00–:––

A meaningful Pride gift about community and belonging

This example connects a person in a Pride crowd with earlier generations who loved, mourned and made space for others.

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The words

Lyrics

They wrote our names in the margins, loved in a whisper, a letter, a code. Buried the truth in the garden, so the ones who'd come after would know. And somewhere a candle was burning for a name that they never could say — oh, but the light kept on turning, and it found its way to today. So if you're standing in the back of the crowd, feeling too quiet, feeling too loud — take a breath, look around, we are everywhere, everywhere now. We were always here. Through the silence, through the fear — every color in the light, every heart that learned to fight. We were always here. Say it 'til it's crystal clear — we don't fade, we don't disappear, oh, we were always, always here. They turned their grief into glitter, turned a funeral march into a parade. Lost a whole generation of brothers, and still showed up unashamed. They marched so a kid in the future could stand in the sun and be seen — and that kid is you, and you're standing here now, the answer to somebody's dream. So if you're standing in the back of the crowd, feeling too quiet, feeling too loud — take a breath, look around, we are everywhere, everywhere now. We were always here. Through the silence, through the fear — every color in the light, every heart that learned to fight. We were always here. Say it 'til it's crystal clear — we don't fade, we don't disappear, oh, we were always, always here. Sing it for the ones who couldn't — (we are here) sing it for the ones who fought — (we are here) sing it for the kid in the mirror learning they were never, ever a mistake. From the back rooms to the bright lights, from the whisper to the roar — we were always, always, always — and we're not hiding anymore. We were always here! Through the silence, through the fear — every color in the light, every heart that learned to fight! We were always here! Say it 'til it's crystal clear — we don't fade, we don't disappear, oh, we were always, always here. We were always here. (always, always) We'll always be here. (always, always) And the ones after us… they'll be here too.

Behind the song

The story

Somewhere a candle once burned for a name nobody could say out loud. People loved in code — letters never sent, back rooms, truths buried in the garden so the ones who came after would find them. Then a generation turned a funeral march into a parade, lost so many friends they stopped counting, and marched anyway so a kid in the future could stand in the sun and be seen. That kid is standing in the crowd now, feeling too quiet and too loud at once, realizing for the first time they were never the first and never alone. It's a handoff across decades: you were always here, I am here now, the ones after us will be here too. The song starts as one trembling voice and ends as everyone who ever came before, singing back. For the community that was told it was the first — and never was.

The story behind this Songbond listening example.

From this song to your gift

Connect their place today with the people before them

This example connects a person in a Pride crowd with earlier generations who loved, mourned and made space for others. A personal gift can celebrate belonging while keeping the recipient’s own identity, community and privacy choices central.

A community member or trusted friend can choose this Pride keepsake for themselves or someone who would welcome its collective perspective.

How to give it

Ask before making the recording public or naming someone’s identity, and let the recipient choose whether it belongs at a gathering or in a private listen.

Giving a personal song

Is this example a personal coming-out announcement?

It is a community-focused Pride example about belonging across generations. A custom gift can keep that collective voice or use a personal story, but sharing remains the recipient’s choice.

Is this the recording I receive when I order a custom gift?

“We Were Always Here” is a public listening example. A custom-song request uses the story you share; check the current creation page for what is included and how changes work.

My First Crowd

Pride

The Family I Found