The Ballad of a Bygone Year

The wind blows east from the Potomac shore Where men in suits debate the coming war Not fought with guns, but with the rates they hold A story whispered, bought and quickly sold Jerome in his temple, reads from his decree Says patience is the only currency The cost of bread, the price of borrowed time A different ledger for the same old climb Oh, sing a song of headlines, new and bright Bathed in the glow of a screen's pale light The ink is fresh, the crisis feels so near

But it's the ballad of a bygone year A tale of power, progress, hope, and fear It’s just the ballad of a bygone year Down marble steps, the arguments descend Where nine robed figures rule on the first amend The digital town square, a tangled, modern mess Who guards the truth? Who silences the press? They weigh the words that travel on the wire What's a platform's reach, what's a person's fire? The fight for freedom finds a different stage But it's the same old anger, same old rage

Oh, sing a song of headlines, new and bright Bathed in the glow of a screen's pale light The ink is fresh, the crisis feels so near But it's the ballad of a bygone year A tale of power, progress, hope, and fear It’s just the ballad of a bygone year Out on the coast, where orchards used to be A different apple falls from a different tree They call it 'intelligence', a ghost inside the phone A seed of genius, or a polished stepping stone? To a world made easy, or a future bought and sold?

Another promise, brave and very old Oh, sing a song of headlines, new and bright Bathed in the glow of a screen's pale light The ink is fresh, the crisis feels so near But it's the ballad of a bygone year A tale of power, progress, hope, and fear It’s just the ballad of a bygone year