Shockwaves, Streetlights, and Signal Fires

Shockwaves, Streetlights, and Signal Fires

Verse 1 — Caracas in the Crosshairs

Night rolls in and thunder walks the rooftops of Caracas, Steel wings carve the dark, the barracks burn like matches. A president pulled from the palace and flown to a New York air base, Facing courts that whisper trafficking and conspiracy in his face. The White House vows to run a nation “until the handoff’s clean,” Neighbors split the sky with cheers and accusations of breaking the scene. Lawmakers left in shadows, asking who unlocked the war-room door, While sirens argue with the law that governs going to war.

Sources:

• 'We are going to run the country,' Trump says after strike on Venezuela
• World reacts to US bombing of Venezuela, 'capture' of Maduro
• Trump says U.S. will govern Venezuela until there's a 'proper transition'
• What we know about a U.S. strike that captured Venezuela's Maduro
• US plans to 'run' Venezuela and tap its oil reserves, Trump says

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Chorus

Shockwaves, streetlights, and signal fires, We’re riding cables through a world of wires. Storms in the headlines, hearts in the choir, Turn it up, turn it higher. From broken glass to hopeful choirs, We’re chasing truth through smoke and choirs. Hold the line, light the spires— Shockwaves, streetlights, and signal fires.

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Verse 2 — Streets of Iran

Wallets thin as paper, markets bleeding through their seams, Crowds pour into alleys with a thousand fragile dreams. The guardmen raise their visors, call the marchers rioters, While a distant Oval Office threatens rescue for the quieted. Tehran points at foreign hands, says the pain was planted there, Warns bases in the region if outsiders dare. A president admits the anger, says the cause is not within, And the streets keep beating rhythms through a tightened ring.

Sources:

• Trump vows to 'rescue' Iran's protesters. Iran warns the U.S. to stay out of it
• Five things you need to know about protests in Iran
• Trump warns Iran after protests turn deadly across several provinces
• Iran's Khamenei says rioters 'must be put in their place' amid protests
• Deaths reported during widening protests in Iran sparked by ailing economy

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Chorus

Shockwaves, streetlights, and signal fires, We’re riding cables through a world of wires. Storms in the headlines, hearts in the choir, Turn it up, turn it higher. From broken glass to hopeful choirs, We’re chasing truth through smoke and choirs. Hold the line, light the spires— Shockwaves, streetlights, and signal fires.

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Verse 3 — Midnight Mayor

A midnight oath in a ghosted station under city stone, An immigrant kid now wearing New York’s crown of chrome. First Muslim, South Asian, youngest in ages and ages, A second oath with Sanders under City Hall stages. He tears down orders from an indicted yesterday, Stacks a slate of deputies, points housing to the fray. Bronx voices and progressives lift a borough-wide roar, “Govern wide, govern bold,” as he kicks open the door.

Sources:

• Zohran Mamdani's inauguration celebrates the progressive movement
• Zohran Mamdani begins term as New York's first Muslim mayor
• Zohran Mamdani inauguration: NYC mayor vows to govern 'audaciously'
• Watch NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's full inauguration speech
• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Defends Scrapping Executive Orders

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Chorus

Shockwaves, streetlights, and signal fires, We’re riding cables through a world of wires. Storms in the headlines, hearts in the choir, Turn it up, turn it higher.

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Verse 4 — The K in the Air

There’s a letter in the virus that slipped past careful hands, Hospitals fill with echoes, a tide across the land. The shot still dulls the blade, even if the mask is frayed, But too few rolled their sleeves and the fever doesn’t fade. A city breaks a record that no one wants to own, Public health says brace yourself, the wave still hasn’t flown. Scientists map the changes, chase the variant’s sway, And whisper, “Get what help you can,” to make it through the day.

Sources:

• Why the flu season is so bad and how you can protect yourself
• New York State Confirms Highest Number of Flu Hospitalizations in a Week
• Flu season surges with a new strain complicating vaccine efforts
• Flu is rising rapidly, driven by a new variant. Here's what to know
• Weekly US Influenza Surveillance Report: Week 51

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Verse 5 — Lines to Kyiv

A call across the channel, a promise crossed with snow, London speaks to Kyiv of the peace they aim to grow. Security on paper, a shield for future nights, Generals mark the margins where the ceasefire might take flight. A willing coalition gathers under Paris skies, Staff chiefs trade assurances while another missile cries. A spymaster turned to steward in the president’s hall, And hope moves like a lantern through a long and bitter crawl.

Sources:

• PM call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine: 3 January 2026
• UK PM Holds Call With Ukraine's Zelenskyy
• Zelenskyy calls for increased support amid ongoing Russian attacks

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Verse 6 — Neon Futures

Desert lights go nova where the screens all bloom, The chip king tunes a keynote, AI shakes the room. Walls glow with micro colors, glass that bends the view, Monitors breathe 3D without the frames we knew. A gentler kind of logic from a giant’s open hand, New panels flash from Sony, bright as desert sand. Robots, cars, and drones step out of demo lines to streets, Wearables hum a pulse where hype and real life meet.

Sources:

• CES 2026: What to expect when tech's biggest conference starts on January 4
• CES 2026: What to expect from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's keynote
• In 2026, AI will move from hype to pragmatism

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Bridge

The fuse is lit from palace gates to factory floors, From winter plazas to the Strip’s revolving doors. If truth is loud, then let it tear the static from the wires— We’ll keep singing over sirens, over smoke, and over choirs.

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Final Chorus and Outro

Shockwaves, streetlights, and signal fires, We’re riding cables through a world of wires. Storms in the headlines, hearts in the choir, Turn it up, turn it higher. Hold the line, light the spires, Name the pain and stoke the flyers, From Caracas to Tehran, New York nights to eastern choirs— Turn it up, turn it higher— We are the spark in the signal fires.