There's foreboding in the air
Waiting for an earthquake
Pandemic spreading
No telling how it might remake
A world so divided
In so many, many ways
Anyone can see
It's no way to greet such days
When you can shut your borders
But it'll barely slow the spread
With a million people homeless
And not enough hospital beds
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
The foreboding in the air
Can get only thicker
As we see our leaders
Passing blame and getting sicker
A crashing economy
Leaders fraught with indecision
Only capable of thinking
Like bought-off politicians
Not enough testing kits
And the ones you got were broken
But hey
The president has spoken
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
A million people wake up
In the morning thinking
Thoughts they never had
Til they found that they were sinking
On a cruise ship full of holes
Where if you can't catch the breeze
There are no fences tall enough
To keep out the disease
Lifting every boat
Or watching them all sink
Ready or not
We're standing on the brink
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
Contain an epidemic
Like in Wuhan or in Seoul
Or watch a catastrophe
Take its toll
Hide behind our gates
Cowering, afraid
Or organize our neighbors
In mutual aid
In synchronicity
Such great things can be done
A planet to lose
Or a world to be won
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
Waiting for an earthquake
Pandemic spreading
No telling how it might remake
A world so divided
In so many, many ways
Anyone can see
It's no way to greet such days
When you can shut your borders
But it'll barely slow the spread
With a million people homeless
And not enough hospital beds
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
The foreboding in the air
Can get only thicker
As we see our leaders
Passing blame and getting sicker
A crashing economy
Leaders fraught with indecision
Only capable of thinking
Like bought-off politicians
Not enough testing kits
And the ones you got were broken
But hey
The president has spoken
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
A million people wake up
In the morning thinking
Thoughts they never had
Til they found that they were sinking
On a cruise ship full of holes
Where if you can't catch the breeze
There are no fences tall enough
To keep out the disease
Lifting every boat
Or watching them all sink
Ready or not
We're standing on the brink
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
Contain an epidemic
Like in Wuhan or in Seoul
Or watch a catastrophe
Take its toll
Hide behind our gates
Cowering, afraid
Or organize our neighbors
In mutual aid
In synchronicity
Such great things can be done
A planet to lose
Or a world to be won
In times like these we find out
That a society
Is only just as strong
As our solidarity
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"We recorded my latest ditty, "Viral Solidarity," Saturday evening in Brisbane, Australia, at what will probably be my last gig for a little while. Now I'm back in the US, heading home to Portland, to see what happens next."
(David Rovics)