Three-Forty-Five

Written in direct response to Greenpeace hit with a $345 million verdict for Standing Rock protests — the criminalization of dissent, Energy Transfer's lawsuit, the chilling effect on activism worldwide, and the question of what protest costs in America. The lyrics weave in verified details — North Dakota judge finalized $345M judgment against Greenpeace on February 27 2026; Reduced from $667M jury verdict issued March 2025; 11 percent interest accruing from jury verdict date. Majik delivers the report through rock, letting the data hit as hard as the beat. Lines like "But this was never just about a North Dakota case" anchor the track in specifics that generic coverage misses. The mood — defiant, angry, urgent — reflects the emotional reality behind the numbers. Every Majik's Studio news track exists to make you feel the story, not just read it.

[verse 1] They stood at Standing Rock in the freezing rain Water protectors chanting, sacred ground, no pipeline, no pain Rubber bullets in December, dogs on chains The whole world watched it streaming but the power remained Now a judge in North Dakota stamps the bill Says dissent is defamation if it hurts the corporate till Energy Transfer filed the papers, called it conspiracy Trespass, nuisance, anything to make the activists flee Six-sixty-seven million was the jury's say But the judge was feeling generous, cut it down halfway Still enough to kill an institution overnight Still enough to tell the world that protest has a price And the interest clock is ticking, eleven percent a year Compounding on the courage, compounding on the fear Every day they don't pay up the number grows That's the math of making sure that nobody else goes [chorus] Three-forty-five, three-forty-five That's the price they put on keeping hope alive Three-forty-five, three-forty-five Tell me how does dissent survive? [verse 2] Greenpeace sailed against the whalers, faced the nuclear test Rainforest blockades and Arctic ice protests Fifty years of standing where the powerful won't Fifty years of doing what the comfortable don't Now one verdict in one courtroom could erase the name One pipeline company playing the litigation game Defamation means you told the truth too loud Conspiracy means you organized a crowd They want you isolated, want you silent, want you small Want you scrolling past the headlines, never making calls State by state the legislations multiply Critical infrastructure bills that criminalize the cry Of anyone who'd dare to stand between The profit and the pipeline and the places still green Block a road, that's a felony in Tennessee Boost a protest, that's a RICO charge, you see [chorus] Three-forty-five, three-forty-five That's the price they put on keeping hope alive Three-forty-five, three-forty-five Tell me how does dissent survive? [verse 3] The appeal goes to the state supreme, the briefs are filed Lawyers parsing precedent while the land is defiled But this was never just about a North Dakota case This is about the chill that settles into every space Where someone thinks of marching, thinks of holding signs Then remembers what happened at the pipeline lines Three hundred forty-five million reasons not to speak Three hundred forty-five million reasons to be meek But the water protectors knew the cost before the court Knew that sacred land was worth more than any tort The Sioux were here before the pipelines, before the drills Before the corporations bought the legislatures and the hills So when they tell you protest is a luxury Remember who's been paying for your liberty Every right you take for granted somebody bled Somebody sat in jail, somebody wound up dead [chorus] Three-forty-five, three-forty-five That's the price they put on keeping hope alive Three-forty-five, three-forty-five Tell me how does dissent survive? [bridge] They can fine the organizations, padlock every door But they can't fine the feeling that we're worth fighting for You can bankrupt Greenpeace, send the message loud But you'll never bankrupt courage in a desperate crowd The interest keeps on running but so do we Eleven percent compounding on the will to be free [chorus] Three-forty-five, three-forty-five That's the price they put on keeping hope alive Three-forty-five, three-forty-five Tell me how does dissent survive? [outro] Three-forty-five Three-forty-five And the meter's still running And the meter's still running