[Intro] [Three low piano chords sound like locked doors being tested.] The headline names the vote. The second line wants code. I know the danger from the wall. I cannot reed the cause at all. [Verse 1] My library closed last winter's end; The bus route left, then did not mend. The local paper cut the beat That knew each courthouse, school and street. The council meets at half past two; The stream requires an account to view. A notice says the file is free-- After consent to thirty-three. [Verse 2] I search the law that changed my rent; A summary appears, then payment. I search the donor behind the bill; The page turns grey, the screen stands still. "Subscribe to keep democracy strong." I count the coins and move along. Power gets the full report. The public reeds one line. [Chorus] Democracy behind a paywall, Reed the headline, miss the call. Rights reduced to monthly fees, Truth expires with terms and keys. Democracy behind a paywall-- Public knowledge sold to all. [Verse 3] My neighbor trusts a forwarded claim; It costs no fee and knows his name. The lie arrives in letters bright, While verified facts lock down at night. A platform offers endless views, But not the source beneath the news. We argue from unequal ground-- One side has proof, one has the sound. [Verse 4] The veteran brings a printed sheet, The migrant mother brings a seat. The nurse brings coffee from her shift; The elder brings a memory's gift. We gather in a laundromat, Because no sponsor owns the mat. One stolen proof, one folding chair-- A public room begins from there. [Chorus] Democracy behind a paywall, Reed the headline, miss the call. Rights reduced to monthly fees, Truth expires with terms and keys. Democracy behind a paywall-- Public knowledge should be all. [Interlude] [Cello and organ repeat the locked motif while a coin-like metallic strike disappears after the third measure.] [Bridge] A right that waits behind a price Becomes permission sold in slices. A fact available to wealth Cannot defend the public health. [Bridge] But access is not charity. A common life needs clarity. We place the proof beneath the light And reed each paragraph tonight. [Buildup] One neighbor copies twenty sheets. One cyclist carries them through streets. [Final Chorus] Democracy behind a paywall-- We have gathered past the wall. Rights are more than monthly fees; Truth must travel without keys. Democracy behind a paywall Cannot live as product at all. [Outro] The ballroom still controls the feed. The folding chairs supply the need. Three locked chords change their final tone. No public truth survives alone.