The Daily Ballad

The autumn air holds a familiar chill On Capitol Hill, the voices stand still Old Man Biden, he draws a hard line Trump's on the trail, says the future is mine November's a whisper, a promise, a threat Some place their hope, and some place a bet And the good folk below just watch the great game Hoping the outcome won't call out their name Oh, the headlines they scream and the pundits they brawl But the price of the coffee is felt by us all It's the same weary story, on a different page Just actors and jesters on history's stage

The sun keeps on rising, the river still flows And that's the one truth that a traveler knows Jerome Powell speaks in a measured low tone 'Bout the numbers and rates from a marble-carved throne Your dollar gets lighter, your worry gets deep While the promises made are too heavy to keep From the factory floor to the sun-beaten farm They're just trying to keep their own families from harm Another percent, another decree It's all just a number to you and to me Oh, the headlines they scream and the pundits they brawl But the price of the coffee is felt by us all

It's the same weary story, on a different page Just actors and jesters on history's stage The sun keeps on rising, the river still flows And that's the one truth that a traveler knows And the glowing glass screens, they show us new fears Of storms on the coast and smoke-filled new years They talk of a future, so shiny and fast But the shadow it casts is the ghost of the past I've seen it in kingdoms and seen it in towns The building of hopes and the tearing them downs Oh, the headlines they scream and the pundits they brawl But the price of the coffee is felt by us all

It's the same weary story, on a different page Just actors and jesters on history's stage The sun keeps on rising, the river still flows And that's the one truth that a traveler knows