The Headline Ballad

Gather 'round and lend an ear, I'll sing of hope and sing of fear From the wires that hum across the land, a story held in every hand The price of bread is on the rise, you see it in the baker's eyes From Washington, a whispered name, Jerome Powell plays a careful game He pulls the levers, slow and tight, to make the heavy burdens light But every coin has got two sides, against the turning of the tides. Oh, the ink is black, the screen is bright, burning through the day and night Another headline for the scroll, another tale that takes its toll

They say the world is new and strange, but I just see the seasons change The names are different, that is true, but the story's always me and you. In the town square, the lines are drawn, from the early dusk to the misty dawn They're waving flags of red and blue, each one certain they speak true The air is thick with promises, of future woes and coming bliss They're counting down the numbered days, to mend the nation's broken ways November's vote is drawing near, a choice that's made of hope and fear. Oh, the ink is black, the screen is bright, burning through the day and night

Another headline for the scroll, another tale that takes its toll They say the world is new and strange, but I just see the seasons change The names are different, that is true, but the story's always me and you. And then they speak of clever ghosts, who live inside the wire hosts Machines that learn and dream and write, built from numbers, built from light Some say a marvel, brave and new, to do the work we used to do Some say a shadow, long and deep, with promises it cannot keep. Out west the skies are hazy brown, as weary firefighters run to town

A thirsty land, a thirsty tree, for all the weary world to see And in the south, the humid air gets heavy with a coming scare The ocean warms, the winds they moan, a seed of trouble has been sown From coast to coast, the people pray, for sun, for rain, for another day. Oh, the ink is black, the screen is bright, burning through the day and night Another headline for the scroll, another tale that takes its toll They say the world is new and strange, but I just see the seasons change The names are different, that is true, but the story's always me and you.