The Turning of the Wheel

In a tower of glass, in a city of stone A former king stands, and he stands all alone Thirty-four whispers, the jury will say On a ledger's dark stain at the closing of day The gavel comes down with a crack in the sky The sentence will wait 'til the middle of July A chapter is written, a first of its kind For the history books that he's leaving behind Oh, the wheel keeps on turning, the headlines they fly Like dust on the wind 'neath a long-suffering sky The names all are different, the faces are new

But the story's the same, and I've seen it all through Yes, the story's the same, just a different today And the song of the people just won't go away Down on the border where the Rio Grande flows A new proclamation the president shows The door that was open is closing up tight For the weary traveler in the fading light Too many are coming, the numbers too high So they'll turn them all back under that same desert sky A promise is bent, and a promise is made Another new verse in a long, sad parade

Oh, the wheel keeps on turning, the headlines they fly Like dust on the wind 'neath a long-suffering sky The names all are different, the faces are new But the story's the same, and I've seen it all through Yes, the story's the same, just a different today And the song of the people just won't go away One man faces judgment, another makes a stand While the sun burns a fever all over the land From Phoenix to Vegas, the asphalt it sighs As the temperature climbs to a brand new high They draw their own lines, and they build their own walls

But the wind and the water don't answer their calls Oh, the wheel keeps on turning, the headlines they fly Like dust on the wind 'neath a long-suffering sky The names all are different, the faces are new But the story's the same, and I've seen it all through Yes, the story's the same, just a different today And the song of the people just won't go away