The Ballad of a Hot June

The mercury climbed, the asphalt sighed Across the plains where the fields have dried The nation held a worried breath And talked of power, life, and death Up on the Hill, in solemn robes They weighed the future of our globes A ruling came, on a summer's day 'Bout what a President can do and say Oh, the dust gets in your eyes, my friend The story starts, it never ends Two old men and a heavy crown As the sun keeps beatin' down, down, down As the sun keeps beatin' down

They spoke of acts, both official and grand Granting immunity across the land But just for deeds within the role Leaving a wound upon the soul Of justice waiting, long delayed A legal, complicated chess game played While Donald Trump said victory's here And the trial date dissolved in fear Oh, the dust gets in your eyes, my friend The story starts, it never ends Two old men and a heavy crown As the sun keeps beatin' down, down, down As the sun keeps beatin' down

Then on a stage, in bright Atlanta's glare Stood Joe and Donald, breathing tired air One voice was halting, lost, and hoarse It sent the party off its course A faltering word, a vacant gazeLost in a confusing, verbal maze The other stood and threw his stones Of border walls and broken homes And the traveler leans upon his cane He's seen the drought, he's seen the rain He's seen the kings who rise and fall And the silent people watch it all They just fan their faces in the heat And taste the dust of their own defeat

Oh, the dust gets in your eyes, my friend The story starts, it never ends Two old men and a heavy crown As the sun keeps beatin' down, down, down As the sun keeps beatin' down