[Verse 1]
Started with a whisper, not a roar
Small concessions at the office door
"Just this once," they said, "look past the line"
Silence seemed so reasonable at the time
First you rationalize, then you look away
Normal people choosing not to say
What they know is wrong becomes routine
Levi warned us what he'd already seen
[Chorus]
Gradual accommodation, step by step
Small compromises while the conscience slept
Not through shock but adaptation's creep
Fascism grows while good people sleep
Little by little, choice by choice
Until you've lost your moral voice
Gradual accommodation, that's the way
Democracy fades away
[Verse 2]
In the cafeteria, jokes get darker still
Everyone's uncomfortable but sits there still
"It's just words," you think, "I'll speak up next time"
But the next time comes and you toe the line
Neighbors disappearing, you pretend not to see
"Not my business," becomes your decree
Each small surrender makes the next one light
Till wrong feels normal and wrong feels right
[Chorus]
Gradual accommodation, step by step
Small compromises while the conscience slept
Not through shock but adaptation's creep
Fascism grows while good people sleep
Little by little, choice by choice
Until you've lost your moral voice
Gradual accommodation, that's the way
Democracy fades away
[Bridge]
Primo Levi knew the price of quiet minds
How ordinary people cross the lines
Not in one big leap but grain by grain
Until resistance feels like too much pain
The moral muscle weakens when unused
Until standing up leaves you confused
[Chorus]
Gradual accommodation, step by step
Small compromises while the conscience slept
Not through shock but adaptation's creep
Fascism grows while good people sleep
Little by little, choice by choice
Until you've lost your moral voice
Gradual accommodation, that's the way
Democracy fades away
[Outro]
Remember Levi's warning clear and true
The first small silence starts with me and you
Gradual accommodation
That's how we lose our nation