Straits, Signals, and Long Lines

Straits, Signals, and Long Lines

Verse 1

At the narrow mouth where tankers thread the needle, Flags are checked and some are turned away. Smoke on the water, ships struck in the middle, Prices jump and sirens lead the day. The energy watchmen call it the hardest season, Asia’s refineries run lean and slow. Sanctions soften on far-off rivals for a reason, And fertilizer, gas, and metals feel the blow.

Sources:

• 2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis – Wikipedia
• The Global Price Tag of War in the Middle East – World Economic Forum
• What the closure of the Strait of Hormuz means for the global economy – Dallas Fed
• How Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz Affects the US – FactCheck.org
• Why it's so hard for world leaders to bring down oil and gasoline prices – NPR

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Chorus

Hold on, when the choke points close and the headlines turn, When the maps catch fire and the engines burn. We’ll keep a small flame, a pilot light through the storm, Sing it together until the lines grow warm.

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Verse 2

In the space of a morning, the message starts bending, “Winding down,” he writes, then boots are sent to shore. A fresh ask for war funds, a vow of an ending, Then barrels at sea are freed to calm the roar. They say it’s using oil against the hand that raised it, Critics call it whiplash in the feed. First loosening in ages, allies rushed to taste it, All to tame a market starved for speed.

Sources:

• Trump's Mixed Messages on Iran: 'Winding Down' the War – US News & World Report
• Trump administration lifts sanctions on millions of barrels of Iranian oil – Washington Post
• Why the Trump administration is easing sanctions on certain Iranian oil stockpiles – CNN
• Trump's mixed messages on Iran – NPR Politics Chat

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Chorus

Hold on, when the choke points close and the headlines turn, When the maps catch fire and the engines burn. We’ll keep a small flame, a pilot light through the storm, Sing it together until the lines grow warm.

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Verse 3

Spring break serpents at the airport snaking, Shoes in bins and tempers on the line. Screeners working unpaid, some hearts are breaking, Waits stretch longer than the warning signs. Talk of sending agents not trained for the duty, While Congress trades a border for a check. Airlines cut their routes as fuel loses its beauty, Travel plans pile up on tarmac decks.

Sources:

• What's ahead as Trump threatens to send ICE agents to airports – CNN
• TSA wait times are unpredictable amid government shutdown – NPR
• Trump Says ICE Agents Will Deploy to Airports Amid Funding Impasse – TIME
• Inside the Shutdown Stalemate Crippling TSA and Airports – TIME
• US says it may be forced to shut down some airports over funding standoff – CNBC

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Chorus

Hold on, when the choke points close and the headlines turn, When the maps catch fire and the engines burn. We’ll keep a small flame, a pilot light through the storm, Sing it together until the lines grow warm.

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Verse 4

On the island, night returns at midday, A turbine coughs and the grid lets go again. Surgery rooms fall to shadows and mayday, A few wards hum, but candles bear the pain. Leaders point to a blockade on the shoreline, Ships stopped selling, wells can’t meet the need. Caracas fell silent, its lifeline cut mid-morn’ time, Talk of friendly takeovers chills the breeze.

Sources:

• Cuba begins to restore power after third nationwide collapse in a month – NPR
• Cuba plunged into second nationwide blackout in less than a week – CNN
• 'Can't live like this': Cuba hit by second nationwide blackout – Al Jazeera
• Cuba begins to restore electricity after nationwide power grid collapse – CBS News
• Cuba's power grid collapses for the 3rd time this month – CNBC

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Chorus

Hold on, when the choke points close and the headlines turn, When the maps catch fire and the engines burn. We’ll keep a small flame, a pilot light through the storm, Sing it together until the lines grow warm.

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Verse 5

In a courtroom glow, a verdict finds its footing, A famous feed has moved the trading floor. “Deal on hold,” he wrote, while shares went shooting Down the slope they swore they’d hold before. They didn’t call it scheming in the finding, But damages loom large across the wire. An appeal is loaded, the papers still unwinding, And the watchdog waits beside the fire.

Sources:

• Elon Musk Twitter verdict – CNBC
• Jury finds Elon Musk misled investors during Twitter purchase – NPR
• Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders before 2022 buyout – Bloomberg Law
• Musk misled Twitter investors before 2022 buyout, jury says – Fortune
• Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders ahead of acquisition – CNN Business

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Bridge

From strait to runway, from blackout wards to screens, The world’s a humming transformer of dreams. No need to count, just feel the drumbeat’s proof— Open the lanes, light up the truth.

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Final Chorus (bigger, brighter)

Hold on, when the choke points close and the headlines turn, When the maps catch fire and the engines burn. We’ll keep a small flame, a pilot light through the storm, Sing it together—’til the grids come warm, Sing it together—let the gates unlock, Sing it together—make the runways talk, Sing it together—tell the tide to turn, We are the power the dark can’t learn.