[Verse 1]
Scrolling past the headlines, eyes begin to glaze
Information overload got us stuck in a haze
College grads keep reading while the rest drift away
Knowledge gap's expanding every single day
Power needs accountability but who's gonna watch?
When the masses tune out, democracy gets botched
Those who need the truth most are the first ones to leave
Creating empty spaces where the lies can breed
[Chorus]
What we fear, what we fear
Civic silence in our ears
Numb electorate, checked out and gone
Information gap grows strong
What we fear, what we fear
Feedback loops that interfere
Late night screens and anxiety
Form a cycle endlessly
[Verse 2]
Outrage fatigue settles like dust on the mind
Each scandal hits softer than the last we could find
Bar keeps dropping lower when we stop paying attention
Normalization creeps in without intervention
Midterms approaching but the voters feel dead
Emotional exhaustion fills the space instead
When shock becomes routine and routine becomes norm
Democracy weakens in the gathering storm
[Chorus]
What we fear, what we fear
Civic silence in our ears
Numb electorate, checked out and gone
Information gap grows strong
What we fear, what we fear
Feedback loops that interfere
Late night screens and anxiety
Form a cycle endlessly
[Bridge]
Phone light glowing at 2 AM
News avoidance kicks right in
Anxiety rising, heart rate climbing
Perfect rhythm, perfect timing
Each component feeds the next
Social fabric getting hexed
Round and round the cycle spins
Nobody knows where it begins
[Verse 3]
Blue light burning retinas while sleep slips away
Morning brings the dread of facing another day
Avoid the news, avoid the stress, avoid the mental load
But ignorance just paves another dangerous road
Those without degrees feel the burden most intense
Information poverty builds walls and fences
Reading rooms gone empty while the powerful scheme
Democratic participation fading like a dream
[Verse 4]
Town halls echo empty while decisions get made
Local elections matter but nobody stayed
School board meetings, city council, all the boring stuff
That shapes our daily lives when push comes to shove
While we're doom-scrolling celebrity drama instead
Real policy changes fly right over our head
The foundation crumbles while we look away
Tomorrow's consequences born from yesterday
[Chorus]
What we fear, what we fear
Civic silence in our ears
Numb electorate, checked out and gone
Information gap grows strong
What we fear, what we fear
Feedback loops that interfere
Late night screens and anxiety
Form a cycle endlessly
[Outro]
Break the loop before it breaks us all
Answer when democracy calls
What we fear can be undone
If we face it one by one