Prologue: 45 Who is this chief wrongly chosen for our nation Whose cruel intent will divide us, one and all Watch as his mobs grow & face the confrontation Heed his commandments or prepare for a fall His is the aim to destroy all we believe in This he will do, as he drags us through the mud Bruised broken bodies on city streets conceived in Hell without precedent, hell steeped in blood Note: Basic track assembled from public domain recordings of "Hail to the Chief" (music: James Sanderson; lyrics: Albert Gamse: song also in public domain).

National Disgrace It started like a comedy The escalator speech America’s most hated boss Descending out of reach The cameramen who rolled their eyes The journalists who knew Today’s delusion couldn’t last Beyond the interview But somehow all his talk of crimes & cover-ups & walls Spoke to his target audience & packed arena halls Their red hats flashing in the stands Like rags before a bull Made rage and loss their higher cause & every heart was full But could we then have known We were confronting face to face Not just another jaded millionaire But our national disgrace The migrant sons & daughters Thrown in cages & afraid Called for the missing parents Separated in a raid The cries of blood & soil echoed Through a darkened street Where torches lit the statues That mourned slavery’s defeat The lies, once so outrageous Soon became a point of view Believed as much as proven fact The most believed, least true His former foes paid homage To the powers he abused Or ended up in exile: blamed, Insulted & accused Did they suspect by then That swept away without a trace They were just the latest casualties Of our National Disgrace? The Book he swore his oath on Soon became another prop To raise before a battered church Used for a photo op His unmarked troops & agents, Shields ready, formed a line For him, just one life mattered & it wasn’t yours or mine He hired & fired flatterers Who sanctified the gun Watched as a new contagion Spread & covered up the sun The rest of us stood by, the toll More frightening every day He shrugged behind the podium, “Soon, it will go away” How often did we overlook Deception in the space Between his words of nonsense & our national disgrace? An empire built on hoaxes, empty slogans like “You’re fired” The women that he silenced & the strongmen he admired The NDAs & legal briefs that whistleblowers feared The Russian bots who struck & disappeared Will the postal service crash Like the economy he wrecked? He’ll sow doubts about Election Day But what can we expect From someone who’s lived all his life Inside a golden tower Bloated with dreams of grandeur Drunk on property & power? There’s a time for action & a time to bear the weight A time to ask for guidance & a time to keep the faith A time to gather in the streets & make our voices heard A time to cast our ballots & to have the final word But what world will we discover In the moment we erase The cruelty & the high crimes of Our National Disgrace?

Faithless Elector Faithless Elector, Why did you break your vow to me? You say above all principles you value liberty You’ve made your declaration Of all burdens you are free But now here comes the hard part, as you’ll learn eventually When all the day’s parades trail off in silence and in spite And the promises you made fade like confetti in the night Your conscience might be clear, but whose false hope did you ignite? When will you gather In that city on the hill To cast your final ballot and bend others to your will? The lights below you gleam Like scattered fires on a field Too far away to separate the injured from the killed But if one voice makes a difference, will you flee or join the fight? And if you’re not really faithless, will you stay with me tonight? And if you are, don’t tell me, I’ve got secrets of my own Faithless Elector, when I wake, will you be gone To pledge allegiance to somebody else Or to yourself alone? Rich benefactors Offer counsel on your vote Tho’ they preach a Constitution that they’ve memorized by rote I see you at town meetings Ready with another quote Perfect for a bumper sticker or a quick clandestine note Faithless Elector, You told the truth for our own good But waited till the time was right to show your gratitude You say the laws we live by Are imperfect like the men And women who conceived them, so you’re leaving me again Holding back the truth’s not hard after the first time that you do Let the party banners shimmer when the spotlight passes through I guess everyone looks different when you change your point of view Faithless elector, am I finally reaching you? If nothing makes a difference, what’s the reason that we fight And if faith itself is obsolete, what’s left for us tonight Just the painful consolations of a future that’s unknown Faithless Elector, when I wake, will you be gone To pledge allegiance to some higher cause Or to yourself alone? And if words don’t make a difference, will you stay or book a flight To some undisclosed location in the middle of the night? Did you learn the secret handshake in the pyramid of light? Faithless Elector, are your articles of faith Worth all the pen-strokes and the parchment They were written on? Faithless elector Note: An "elector" is a member of the U.S. electoral college--usually a political appointee or party activist. Electors meet in December after each Presidential election to officially cast their ballots. A "faithless elector" is a member of the electoral college who casts a vote for someone other than the candidate he or she is pledged to vote for--in other words, they broke their vow & proved themselves "faithless."

Deep Fake Faces I want to reach out to you But I’ve got to find a new face That will please, intrigue & lure you To the black screen & the blue space Of that endless online ocean At the edge of Make Believe and Let’s Pretend I’ll smile, vaguely familiar With the look of one who knows you Every message sent, a mirror Of the shadow-self it shows you Every word a calculation Of how much to praise, reflect back, or offend While only acting as a friend & you don’t even know my real name You don’t know what I look or even talk like, it’s a shame Some imaginary person You can’t even put a curse on Has you caught without a clue Who lays the blame or cries the blues Behind the deep fake faces you believe are true? & no one even knows my real name & the profile that entrapped you was the first move in a game You don’t realize you’re playing The alternatives you’re weighing So surreal, they can’t be true Do you possess a point of view? If not, the deep fake faces will make sure that you do   Now I’ve got you Trusting everything I share & I’ve brought you To the brink of everywhere & I’ve left you At the crossroads of your bias No one questions or denies us ’Cause they don’t know where the lie is Or don’t care We’ll be waiting for you always With the faces you confide in Through the infinite dark doorways Of the cloud that we reside in A.I. blended, generated Algorithmically created, in the end It’s just too easy pressing Send You’re hooked on all the shock & sad surprise It’s a car wreck, you can’t look away but don’t believe your eyes Though you place your trust in faces & false claims without a basis You’d cry if you only knew It doesn’t matter what you do The latest deep fake faces look a little bit like you

There’s a Reason Olives Grow in California There’s a reason olives grow in California It isn’t just the climate or the Bay The family orchards shining with white flowers Groves breaking into blossom every May Whose hands will pick the ripe fruit come September Whose steady labor fills the endless days Who’s watching from the north side of the border Or hears the mission fathers as they pray By day the sun reflects from dirty windshields Or the shades patrolmen wear to hide their gaze By night the desert shadows over dark hills Disguise the land a thousand different ways There’s a wedding ring wrapped in a ragged kerchief A prayer book & a confiscated cross Filed in a box from which they’ll never surface As one more broken family mourns their loss There’s a reason people come to California To vanish in the landscape every day The endless acres shining with bright flowers The heavy branches bright in clouds of rain But who will pick the ripe fruit or remember As grinding hours blend & slip away & who will watch for shadows on the border Or hear the mission sisters as they pray In the fields of the north the day is over When baskets overspill & stars appear You could almost bring yourself to climb the ladders If they led to anywhere but here A mile away a clutch of rusted trailers Flickers in a campfire’s afterglow The mission bells that toll do not remember The speechless neighbors no one wants to know There’s a reason people ride to California It isn’t just a place to get away The would-be workers locked behind a van’s doors The families forced to make their separate ways Their hands will reap the harvest come September Or find some other labor for the pay They ride beyond the checkpoints at the border With every bump they’ll close their eyes & pray I was thinking of the olive leaf a dove brought Back from dry land risen from the sea The monks who brought small cuttings in a clay pot From a homeland left to memory A thousand-year-old tree across the ocean Witnesses another century Its roots & branches tangle on the same ground Where generations toiled or had to flee There’s a reason olives grow in California It isn’t just the climate or the Bay The endless orchards shining with white flowers Groves breaking into blossom every May We know who’ll pick the ripe fruit come September Or end up caught before they get away Who’s watching from the north side of the border Or hears the orphaned children as they play  

November Light November light has fallen Rays metallic, Mars in retrograde again Crows are flying through a whirlwind of leaves Let the night begin ~descant~ All our masks are worn in secret All our secrets we refuse to give away What we see we will not speak of What we know we cannot say Is it true the dead are speaking Whispering to saints who bend & listen in As the world grows dim & skeletal & mean What’s waiting at the end Between the dreys & dread Scratchboard branches overhead The pavement’s cobalt shadows & the casement’s burnished glow Late afternoon’s gray sunlight Blending with black metal night What do we know ~ No Ruffles, No Flourishes When will it end—this election that afflicts us How will it end—in elation or regret Who will prevail—with what lies will he depict us Whose law will govern us, whose lives are the debt

Long Night Are you ready for another day In Nightmare City USA Where armed militias raise their guns & cheer Flag-bearing pickups roar through town Surround the bus they’re running down By night thru smoke & torchlight they appear It’s gonna be a long night Followed by a long day Followed by the long long time it takes to find our way It’s gonna be a long night Followed by a long fight Not to make the one wrong move that gives it all away Poll volunteers endure the jeers Of mobs who listen to their fears & look for fraud they’re told they should expect Who’ll stoke the fire while ballots burn Like history we never learn What law does chaos uphold & protect? It’s gonna be a long night Followed by a long day Followed by the long long time it takes to find our way It’s gonna be a long night Followed by a long fight Not to let ourselves give up & give it all away The neighbor quoting Q-Anon Misled by memes & dark web dreams Means no one any harm (& surely he is wrong?) He heads outdoors when times are hard For target practice in the yard In search of inner peace Some moment of release Birds scatter from the trees & the news from Nightmare City (So they say) Is everything’s okay A slender figure floats through halls Superbly dressed, his dark suit pressed Past portraits of the great (Results are running late) He meets his wife, First Daughter dear Who shares his secrets, well-coiffed, sheer Blonde hair & skin like cream They’re living out their dream Why do I want to scream But the word from Nightmare City (They insist) Nobody should resist Do you gaze up at the podium The world divided – Us & Them – To see your cause & candidate prevail Is it because you’re glad the tide Is washing over those outside Not you who raise the sword & hold the scale It’s gonna be a long night Followed by a long day Followed by the long long time it takes to find our way It’s gonna be a long day Followed by a long night Followed by the long long fight they’ll wage to get their way It’s gonna be a long night Followed by a long day Followed by the long long time it takes to make our way It’s gonna be a long night Followed by a long fight Not to let ourselves give up & give it all away But everything’s okay Is everything okay?

The Cuckoo (1/6/21) Gonna build me a log cabin On a mountain so high Where the stars shine brightly & the missiles fly by Oh the cuckoo she’s a pretty bird She warbles as she flies She never hollers cuckoo Till the 4th day of July Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds We’ve known you of old Break the seal & lay the cards out Let’s hear our fortunes told On the 6th day of the new year We will gather at the call Will Congress keep on counting When we raid the Capitol Scale the walls & break the doors down We are many, they are few Raise the flags up, point your weapons Crying havok as we do Oh the cuckoo she’s a pretty bird Of strange fortune we should fear To our shame she hollers cuckoo On the 6th day of year Note: Inspired by Clarence Ashley's 1929 version. (Traditional; public domain. Additional lyrics: ned.)

Someday We’ll Be Happy Again Someday we’ll be happy again Someday we’ll be happy again Can’t say how soon, don’t know just when But someday we’ll be happy again The school kids in the alley wake us as they make their way Some flowers keep unfolding even when the sky is gray The birds out on the railing surely have a lot to say Anyway we’ll be happy someday Someday we’ll be happy again Someday we’ll be happy again Can’t say how soon, don’t know just when But someday we’ll be happy again A photo that we treasure fades, the kids we raised are grown Sometimes we seek out company, sometimes we stay alone We’ll wear our parents’ faces, all in good time, as our own It’s something true we’ve always known But, someday, we’ll be happy again It’s true we’ll be happy again Can’t say how soon, don’t know just when But some day, some day & if we can’t be happy with what’s happening, let’s watch it blow away The airwaves carry music & we recognize the song It’s time to say I love you or admit that we were wrong Sometimes we count our blessings & sometimes we go along Can’t say how fast, can’t say how long Each day brings some new cruelty or the death of dear old friends We’re moving toward a new light that blinds before it mends The work that breaks your heart and kills your spirit never ends But someday we’ll be happy again Someday we’ll be happy again Someday we’ll be happy again Can’t say how soon, I don’t know when But someday we’ll be happy again

Inauguration Eve Today the sky looks dreary But tomorrow’s sun will melt away the snow If it doesn’t, we won’t let it show 19th of January All the bright balloons are ready to fly high Will they catch in trees or touch the sky? The mail arrives to meet us & the carrier, still smiling, gives a wave What’s the good news in that look she gave? & the mayor of our block transplanted 2 small trees Before the ground began to freeze Looks like they’ll make it in...one...piece Inauguration Eve One President arrives & one must leave Is it a reason to believe A chance to start again Or just the same old knock-down-drag-out fight among good friends The battle never ends There’ll be motorcades, parades Excited crowds, a few concrete blockades (Stay back from the fence, it's intense) Watchful agents alert in suits & shades There might even be a poem We can head down to D.C. or watch from home (It's safer by far from afar) Check out the Capitol’s neoclassic dome (under guard by the National Guard) We don’t need bombs & tanks Just a fire pit & a few beers to give thanks (& a mask, not too much to ask) That we made it despite the kooks & cranks & the ten-year-old who talks to no one we can see Is curtsying quite carefully Imagining she’s roy-al-ty Inauguration Eve Processions, parties, oaths, is it naive To think tomorrow’s a reprieve How will we know which men in blue protect & serve, whose lives they’ll hasten to an end --God help us, not again... Let’s let go of conspiracies, apologies & welcome back the pals we used to be Before the trolls & twitter moles Transformed us into enemies It’s okay to disagree There’ll be plenty of time to fight if we stay free & most of us like democracy The world’s still here to greet us It kept spinning through the solstice & the cold Long before & after, so I’m told Inauguration Eve Marine Band horns & “Hail to the Chief” It’s finally time to start the show A chance to just let go Despite the same old knock-down-drag-out fights we’ve come to know The winter winds of change must blow Inauguration Eve, A mix of sorrow, hope & sweet relief & a reason to believe A chance to start again the old familiar knock-down-drag-out fight among good friends The battle never ends We’re such good friends, the battle never ends 

Coda: 46 Yours is the way wisely chosen for our nation Your good intent may unite us, after all Let us rejoice in relief & expectation Though injuries linger, hope is possible still Yours is the aim to preserve what we believe in What have we learned from our past mistakes & grief Failed compromises, trite sayings we’re deceived in All are tomorrow’s cares, all joys are brief  

VCR Days - bonus track The VCR plays Remember those dark days Of pay phones & tangled-up cords Those Walkman cassettes That everyone had to get The strip malls where we hooked up, looking jaded & bored Marathon MTV Soothed us into a sound sleep With visions of veejays & V-shaped guitars We’d wake up in the sky Wondering when, where or why The bombs started falling like nuclear stars CHORUS Take me back (not too far), get away (it’s too far)* If memory’s meant to betray me Is it real (yes, it was), do I feel (no one does) The exit is closing in fast on the freeway Through purple rain I’m the king of pain & I cosmically roam I’m a talking head with no regrets Is anyone home? Remember our fling With Cusack’s Say Anything, Boom boxes held over our heads Could the right song convince Anyone then or ever since To not rip their ex-boy- or girlfriends’ T-shirts to shreds Well, the future is here Did we know it was so near Our wasted days fading out into black light Photos airbrushed & blurred Like the music we thought we heard Blasting from Trans Ams or lost in the night repeat CHORUS Watch for the light on the hills overhead Descent of the mothership shielded with lead Blinded by science & searching the night Emmanuel Lewis in radiant light Calling his flock to awake last CHORUS Hounds of love Hand in glove Lips are sealed What’s revealed Chaka Khan Lennon’s gone Tears for fears No one hears Like a prayer I will dare XTC OMD Hand in hand Neverland Tylenol That is all ~ *backing vox in 2nd & 3rd chorus: press & play/let me stay hit rewind/please be kind future's here/much too near torn to shreds/no regrets