The Heavy Human Load

In a Manhattan courthouse, the air is thick and old, A story of a powerful man, and secrets to be sold. They talk of hush money, and ledgers lined with dread, Twelve faces in a jury box, hang on each word that's said. From a tower made of gold, down to a witness stand, A chapter's closing on a ruler of the land. Oh, the headlines they fly, like the leaves in a gale, But it's the same old story, it's the same human tale. A fight for the crown, a cry in the street,

The bitter and the hopeful, the victory and defeat. And I sing what I see, on this long, winding road, Just another heavy, heavy, human load. On the campus green, where the ivy used to climb, The students pitch their tents, trying to buy back time. With banners for the fallen, in a land so far away, They raise their youthful voices, for what they need to say. The sirens sing their answer, the lines are drawn in blue, They say the price of speaking up is a fight to see it through.

Oh, the headlines they fly, like the leaves in a gale, But it's the same old story, it's the same human tale. A fight for the crown, a cry in the street, The bitter and the hopeful, the victory and defeat. And I sing what I see, on this long, winding road, Just another heavy, heavy, human load. Down in Texas and in Iowa, the sky turned jealous green, The meanest looking twister that you ever could have seen. It took the roofs from houses, and the church bell from its tower,

A reminder of nature's awesome, terrifying power. And in the flattened fields, they search among the wood, For a neighbor's photograph, to make things understood. Some folks pray for justice, some folks pray for peace, Some just pray the shouting's gonna finally find release. From the courtroom to the quad, to the splintered heartland plain, Everyone is searching for a shelter from the strain. Oh, the headlines they fly, like the leaves in a gale, But it's the same old story, it's the same human tale.

A fight for the crown, a cry in the street, The bitter and the hopeful, the victory and defeat. And I sing what I see, on this long, winding road, Just another heavy, heavy, human load.