Deepfake Video Blues

Selling water by the river, in a parking lot craft fair.

Today’s news is a relatively brutal place to start today’s dissertation, but here goes:

The GOP’s relentless push to gut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security is a direct attack on millions of voters — seniors, disabled folks, working-class families, and anyone who relies on it for basic healthcare.

The Republicans dress it up as “fiscal responsibility” or “cutting waste,” but we know the real deal: it’s about shifting resources upward, while leaving the most vulnerable to fend for themselves and pay more tax dollars to the very rich.

If the Republicans actually happen to succeed in spite of their utter incompentence, the fallout among the lower and middle class Americans will be devastating—people losing life-saving medications, nursing home care getting slashed, hospitals in rural areas shutting down.

And let’s not forget, Medicaid expansion under the ACA literally saved lives. It reduced medical bankruptcies, gave people access to preventive care, and even helped in opioid recovery efforts.

The worst part? They pull this stunt while giving tax breaks to billionaires and corporations, pretending that trickle-down economics isn’t the longest-running scam in modern history.

Do these songs of mine spur you into thinking of channeling your fear and rage into a protest song? That’s what I did, and here they are!

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Title: Hands Off My Healthcare

(A gritty, bluesy anthem about fighting back against Medicaid cuts)

[Verse 1]

Well, I woke up this mornin’, turned on the news
Saw a bunch of rich men takin’ more from me and you
They say, “We’re cuttin’ Medicaid, it’s time to tighten belts”
But they ain’t missin’ meals, nah, they just feedin’ themselves

[Chorus]

Hands off my healthcare, don’t you play that game
You’re robbin’ the poor just to fatten your name
While the rich get richer, we’re left in despair
So back up, back off—hands off my healthcare!

[Verse 2]

They say, “Don’t worry, folks, just work a little more”
But when you’re sick and strugglin’, can’t even reach the door
They’re poppin’ champagne, flyin’ private in the sky
While grandmama’s rationin’ meds just to get by

(🔥 Harmonica/guitar solo 🔥)

[Bridge]

They got gold in their pockets, got power and greed
But when you’re out in the cold, where’s the help that you need?
They got bailouts and tax breaks, they’re doin’ just fine
While they cut off the lifeline that oughta be mine

[Chorus Repeat]

[Outro]

Ain’t beggin’ for favors, just what’s fair and square
So listen up, Washington—hands off my healthcare!

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Title: Deepfake Video Blues

(A slow, eerie blues about truth getting lost in AI illusions.)

[Verse 1]

🎶 Flipped on the screen, saw a man in a suit
Sayin’ things that he’d never do
Looked just like him, had the same old grin
But it’s just some code lyin’ deep within 🎶

[Chorus]

🎶 Oh, they’re spinnin’ up lies, wearin’ stolen shoes
You can’t trust your eyes, got the deepfake video blues
They can fake a smile, twist up the news
Can’t tell what’s real—man, we’re bound to lose 🎶

[Verse 2]

🎶 Mama told me, “Boy, believe what you see”
Now even my shadow’s lyin’ to me
Politicians wavin’, sayin’ “Trust my face”
But it’s AI ghosts in a digital space 🎶

(🔥 Harmonica/guitar solo 🔥)

[Bridge]

🎶 The truth is slippin’, like sand through my hand
What’s left to believe, in this deepfake land?
They swap out the past, re-write the score
Turn friends to enemies, and peace into war 🎶

[Chorus Repeat]

[Outro]

🎶 One day I’ll wake up, won’t know my own name
Just a puppet in someone else’s game… 🎶

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Title: Bot’s Got My Job

(A bluesy, tongue-in-cheek lament about losing work to automation and a TrumpCoin dystopia.)

[Verse 1]

🎶 Walked in this mornin’, boss said “You’re through”
A machine took my desk, now I ain’t got no clue
Used to push papers, now I just push a sign
Says “Will work for food”—but AI took the line 🎶

[Chorus]

🎶 Oh, the bot’s got my job, and I got the blues
Standin’ in the street, with nothin’ to lose
Tried to buy some bread, but the man just laughed
Said, “You need TrumpCoin, and you ain’t got the app!” 🎶

[Verse 2]

🎶 Tried to get welfare, but the office was closed
A chatbot told me, “Man, that program’s old”
Said, “Pull yourself up, go learn to code”
But even the coders are out on the road 🎶

(🔥 Harmonica/guitar solo 🔥)

[Bridge]

🎶 The bankers are smilin’, they don’t shed no tears
All my life’s savings just disappeared
Crypto kings playin’ in their digital land
While I scrape for change, just to eat outta hand 🎶

[Chorus Repeat]

[Outro]

🎶 So if you see me beggin’, don’t hand me a dime
Cuz cash is illegal, and poverty’s a crime… 🎶

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Pirates & Thieves

(A dark blues anthem about the old-school criminals still running the show today.)

[Verse 1]

🎶 There’s a gang in the city, they don’t need no gun
They rob you blind before the day’s begun
Wearin’ ties, not masks, but it’s all the same
When the working man loses, they rigged the game 🎶

[Chorus]

🎶 Highway robbers, robber barons, and thieves
Stealin’ your future with a flick of a sleeve
They don’t ride horses, don’t carry no blade
Just sign the dotted line, and your life gets played 🎶

[Verse 2]

🎶 Out on Wall Street, the pirates stand tall
Lootin’ the country while they laugh in the hall
They don’t sail ships, but they plunder just fine
Sinkin’ your pension while they drink their wine 🎶

🔥 (Gritty harmonica/guitar solo) 🔥

[Bridge]

🎶 The king’s got his tax men, takin’ their share
While the working man’s pockets are left stripped bare
The law’s got a blindfold, justice don’t care
‘Cause the ones who wrote it—are the ones up there 🎶

[Chorus Repeat]

[Outro]

🎶 So hide your gold, and count your days
‘Cause the pirates in Congress are here to stay… 🎶

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…And that’s my output for this evening’s songwriting production, so let’s get ready to board the Bardo bus for video parts unknown!

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See You At The Top!!!

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