[Intro]
Yeah
Red ink on the ballot, huh
They sell war like a product, look
[Verse 1]
Talk tough on a podium, soft in the bunker
Rich men gamble while the rest go under
Point at borders, blame any foreign face
While they spit black smoke in the kids’ airspace
Blue tie, red tie, same type blood deal
Handshake, smear it on a contract, sealed
Feed you fear like a meal on a paper plate
Then raise rent twice, say “adjust to the rate”
Post “thoughts and prayers,” then cash that check
New drone contract, that’s cause and effect
Scroll through names, just numbers on a sheet
While a mom holds shoes with no more feet
Big flag backdrop, big brand logo
Whole world burning for their promo
I don’t pledge to a suit or a slogan
I pledge to the ones that are missing, unspoken
[Chorus]
Red ink on the ballot, stains don’t dry
Every speech just a sales pitch lie
They play god with the way folks die
We caught in the crosshair, asking why
Red ink on the ballot, can’t wash clean
Every screen just a war crime scene
They sign deals, we bleed in between
Red ink on the ballot, you know what it mean
[Verse 2]
Left side, right side, same old script
Just switch masks when the poll lines dip
Talk “peace talks” while they ship more steel
Send aid with one hand, the other hand steals
Stacking sanctions, starving a whole block
Then smile for the camera with a new wristwatch
Talk “law and order” from a private jet
Fly over towns they ain’t visited yet
Kids in cages, elders in debt
Boss on a yacht, still placing a bet
News host shouting, picking teams like sports
While bodies pile up around new courts
Name the villain of the month for the ratings
Turn folks into targets for debating
I see flags draped over small square graves
While old men toast to “the land of the brave”
[Chorus]
Red ink on the ballot, stains don’t dry
Every speech just a sales pitch lie
They play god with the way folks die
We caught in the crosshair, asking why
Red ink on the ballot, can’t wash clean
Every screen just a war crime scene
They sign deals, we bleed in between
Red ink on the ballot, you know what it mean
[Bridge]
Who profits off panic?
Who cashes in on grief?
Who weaponized the map
Then branded it “belief”?
Names in the paper
Fade in a day
Their signatures linger
We still pay
[Chorus]
Red ink on the ballot, stains don’t dry
Every speech just a sales pitch lie
They play god with the way folks die
We caught in the crosshair, asking why
Red ink on the ballot, can’t wash clean
Every screen just a war crime scene
They sign deals, we bleed in between
Red ink on the ballot, you know what it mean