Great Acceleration

Tyranny steps lightly
One foot before the next
You never hear the marching
Till it coming up the steps

The temporary measures
Of a nation in distress
A choice between two evils
One of duty or regret

Tyranny advances
Like the darkening of night
When it is for the greater good
You don't put up a fight

If blind to the beginnings
You cannot see the end
This is the nearsightedness
Of ordinary men

And then a great acceleration
A beating of the drum
The awful recognition
Of all you have become

Tyranny speaks calmly
As it offers up a deal
Even as it presses you
Underneath its heel

A temporary measure
Do you wonder what it meant
What you have surrendered to
Without dissent

And then a great acceleration
A beating of the drum
The awful recognition
Of all you have become
All you have become