democracy's dead
01/21/2023democracy's dead
Embedded Files
Something on January 6th
Unlocked a sixth sense
A threat made on capitol hill
One that we’ll never forget
The strings of democracy going
Snip snip snap
Like a broken violin playing a requiem
A terrible tune that’s making us numb
But this wasn’t the beginning
It might not even be a climax
Because this has been going on for
Way
Too
Long
Snip
The working class working off your debt
The way you never own up to it
Snip
Ignoring the warning signs of environmentalists
Raging about the planet you “can’t help” but kill
Snip
Protection of those unborn “lives”
You’re never willing to protect once they’re here
Snip
Your constant choking hypocrisy,
Changing our ideals until we fit your bureaucracy
Snap.
No one wants a repeat of capitol hill
No one wants to see our freedom fall
But now you’re making it seem inevitable
Now we’re just waiting for us all to fall
I mean, all we want is a decent leader, is that too much to ask?
Why do all the leaders we have, never seem to be up to the task?
Things like:
“We’ll fix the planet!”
“We'll make the country “great” again!”
“We’ll lower taxes!”
“Freedom!”
Is there ever any end?
We have a democracy on critical support
in intensive care
trying to shock it back to life
With the citizens paying the price
Are we all just puppets on a string in the grand scheme of things?
This play a mockery of us all while you sit high above?
“I do solemnly swear to defend the Constitution”
Your lies are a joke, and the system is broke
Your precious capitalism is corroding our freedoms
With votes bought and sold like we’re at a museum
We don’t want this to be just “another bad past”
Another note in history, never meant to last
We’re honestly trying to bring back our ideals
But it’s only ending with a circus court of appeals
‘Cause you don't have a problem lighting matches on that “sacred” paper ,
You don't have a problem rewriting it overnight
You don’t have a problem with raiding the capitol
And we have a problem with that
“To Serve and Protect”
Was always the moto
But the only ones you serve
Are yourselves
You'd burn this world to the ground
Before admitting you'd let us down
We’re tired of your lies,
And your endless cries
Your preaching and screeching leaching us dry
You never own up
So just when will it be enough?
Because houses are falling apart everywhere
From Washington to Delaware
Yet you never seem to be aware
Or maybe you just don’t even care
But when your foundation cracks
And your roof is caving in
It's only a matter of time before one sets in
So buy a stronger lock, build a taller gate,
Because at this rate, January 6th will be an annual date
Editor’s Note:
Pippa and Emily wrote and performed this incredible poem in 2021. It is now 2023, and this poem’s final line—and overall warning—is proving, unfortunately, to be true. On January 8th, supporters of the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsanaro stormed the presidential offices, three towers plaza, supreme court, and congressional buildings of Brazil. Both Jair Bolsanaro’s regime and the motivations of his supporters were rife with extreme rhetoric, misinformation, and violence. This can be said not just about Bolsonaro, but about the many authoritarians that came before him, and the many that will come after—and all of them depend on ignorance and apathy of the signs of tyranny.
To learn about the patterns of authoritarianism, read historian Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.
To learn more about the insurrection in Brazil, read:
Written By: Pippa Dempsey-Hall and Emily Rosen
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