SONG: THIRTEEN DAYS ON THE BRINK
(Tempo: Mid-tempo, building with a heavy, steady drum beat)
[CHORUS]
Thirteen days in October, the world held its breath
Kennedy and Khrushchev, dancing with death
The missiles in Cuba, aimed and ready to fly
One wrong move, and we all say goodbye
Yeah, we were standing on the edge of the end.
[VERSE 1: The Discovery]
The year was nineteen-sixty-two (1962)
A U-2 spy plane brought the photos to view
The Soviets were hiding nuclear fire on Castro’s ground
Kennedy saw the evidence, and the alarm began to sound
The EXCOMM met in secret, shadows on the wall
If we strike them first, will we be the ones to fall?
[VERSE 2: The Blockade]
Kennedy stood tall, said "No more weapons through"
He drew a line in the ocean, a "Quarantine" in blue
The Soviet ships were coming, steam rising from the deck
The whole world was watching, hands around their neck
Building bomb shelters and praying for the light
Waiting to hear if the world would end tonight.
[VERSE 3: The Secret Deal]
The phone lines hummed, Khrushchev sent a plea
"Take your missiles out of Turkey, and let Cuba be"
A secret deal was struck, a promise in the dark
The Soviet ships turned 'round, missing the spark
The missiles were dismantled, the tension started to fade
The greatest war in history was the one that wasn't played.
[BRIDGE]
The Hotline was installed, from the Kremlin to the West
So we can talk it out, and put the nukes to rest
Mutually Assured Destruction... MAD was the name
In a nuclear war, there is no winner in the game.
[OUTRO]
History remains to teach us the cost
Of the peace we almost broke and the lives we almost lost
Grade Ten... remember those thirteen days.
(Fading out with a somber guitar melody)
[Male Black American Rap Vocal]
SSY2025
