[Intro][Nu Metal / Rapcore] (Irregular, frantic percussion. Stuttering guitar. Static and distorted news clips/TV alert sounds.) (Ad-libs) Alert level: Maximum Contempt. [Verse 1][Male Vocalist, Fast Cynical Rap] (M) Look at the anchor, see the greasepaint shine through Got the outrage cued up, gotta sell the fear to you The script is on the teleprompter, the sorrow is on loan They got a million faces but only one monotone **Performance anxiety**, gotta hit the weekly quota Another manufactured crisis, another talking head motor They scream about the breakdown, then they smile through the ad break Selling us the solutions to the panic they make Just a rented suit and a perfect soundbite to sell Trapped behind the glass, serving up a corporate hell. [Pre-Chorus 1][Male Vocalist, Building Growl] (Rhythm simplifies, bass drives.) (M, Raw Growl) They're not angry! They're **performing for the share count!** Every tear is calculated, every truth is a discount! You’re paying with your focus! They’re trading your despair! They’re nothing but a puppet with perfectly parted hair! [Chorus 1][Male Vocalist, Collective Anthem Scream] (Massive riff and percussion hit with full force.) (M, Anthem Scream) **JUST A TALKING HEAD!** Reading the daily script! **JUST A TALKING HEAD!** Another outrage on the lip! The emotion is borrowed, the panic is fake! **SCREAM FOR THE RATINGS!** It's the only thing you take! [Verse 2][Male Vocalist, Fast Cynical Rap] (M) They pivot on the tragedy, they spin on the dispute They got the same look of concern whether it's war or a loot They don't bleed for the people, they only bleed for the click Gotta keep the tension simmering, gotta keep the audience sick The text-to-speech emotion is clearer than their own They sold their soul for airtime, sitting on a lonely throne Another crisis maximized, another enemy defined Leaving no room for thinking, leaving no peace for the mind. Cycle through the headlines, sell the conflict as a product They're the dealer of dysfunction, and the public is the addict. [Pre-Chorus 2][Male Vocalist, Building Growl] (Rhythm simplifies, bass drives.) (M, Raw Growl) They're not angry! They're **performing for the share count!** Every tear is calculated, every truth is a discount! You’re paying with your focus! They’re trading your despair! They’re nothing but a puppet with perfectly parted hair! [Chorus 2][Male Vocalist, Collective Anthem Scream] (Massive riff and percussion hit with full force.) (M, Anthem Scream) **JUST A TALKING HEAD!** Reading the daily script! **JUST A TALKING HEAD!** Another outrage on the lip! The emotion is borrowed, the panic is fake! **SCREAM FOR THE RATINGS!** It's the only thing you take! [Bridge][Digital Breakdown] (Tempo drops. Glitching static, aggressive text-to-speech samples, guitar feedback.) (M, Cold Whisper) The feed is a transaction. Your fear is the currency. We cash that in for power. You buy it back as truth. You think you're informed? You're just *formatted*. (Text-to-speech: "Crisis... Crisis... Sell the solution...") [Chorus 3][Male Vocalist, Collective Anthem Scream] (Full, extended intensity. Cinematic drums.) (M, Anthem Scream) **JUST A TALKING HEAD!** Reading the daily script! **JUST A TALKING HEAD!** Another outrage on the lip! The emotion is borrowed, the panic is fake! **SCREAM FOR THE RATINGS!** It's the only thing you take! **NOTHING BUT A HEAD!** [Outro][Nu Metal / Rapcore Fade] (Chorus riff repeats and accelerates into a chaotic drum fill, cutting out abruptly on a final, piercing TV alert tone and the sound of static.)
