[Verse 1]
They came to power through the ballot box
No tanks rolling down the street
Democracy dies in broad daylight
When leaders make the slow retreat
From norms that held the system strong
To rules that let them play along
[Chorus]
Rules without norms, that's how it starts
Gatekeepers fail when they lose their hearts
Institutional forbearance gone
Democracy fades before the dawn
Listen close to Levitsky's call
Ziblatt warns us before we fall
[Verse 2]
The guardrails aren't written down
They're handshakes in the halls of power
When elites stop playing by the code
Democracy counts its final hour
Legal doesn't mean it's right
When constitutional hardball starts the fight
[Chorus]
Rules without norms, that's how it starts
Gatekeepers fail when they lose their hearts
Institutional forbearance gone
Democracy fades before the dawn
Listen close to Levitsky's call
Ziblatt warns us before we fall
[Bridge]
No coups needed when you capture courts
Pack the agencies, change the game
Neutrality becomes complicity
When fascists play without shame
The erosion happens step by step
While institutions slowly sleep
[Verse 3]
Political parties used to guard the gate
Keep the extremists out of reach
But when they prioritize their power
Over democratic values that they teach
The center cannot hold for long
When gatekeepers sing the wrong song
[Chorus]
Rules without norms, that's how it starts
Gatekeepers fail when they lose their hearts
Institutional forbearance gone
Democracy fades before the dawn
Listen close to Levitsky's call
Ziblatt warns us before we fall
[Outro]
Speed up the playback, one point two
Let their wisdom sink right through
How democracies die inside
When leaders let the norms subside