Alexander Fraser Tytler's Eight Stages of a Democracy Theory (song)

Song: Alexander Fraser Tytler's Eight Stages of a Democracy Theory
Music, Lyrics & Voices: Ai
Chorus: Aaron J. Weaver

[verse1]
Stage 1: From Bondage, Freedom's Claim! [spoken]

To rise from chains, a humbled, broken few,
And found in faith a purpose brave and new.
With spirits tempered by a master's hand,
And vowed to forge a brighter, promised land.
The memory of chains, a stinging shame,
Fuels the long climb to etch a worthier name.

[verse2]
Stage 2: From Faith, a Courage Bright! [spoken]

The spirit's truth, a lantern in the night,
Ignites the soul and fills the heart with might.
To face the storm, the tyrant, and the foe,
With righteous anger and a steady blow.
No comfort sought, no easy path is trod,
And strength derived from the decrees of God.

[verse3]
Stage 3: From Courage, Liberty's Dawn! [spoken]

The shackles break, the oppressor is withdrawn.
From bloody fields, a hopeful age is born.
New laws are written, rights are sworn to all,
A sacred promise answering freedom's call.
The banners wave, a promise to the free,
To guard this ground for all eternity.

[verse4]
Stage 4: From Liberty, Abundance Flows! [spoken]

The open markets and the fruitful rows,
The busy docks where foreign traffic goes.
The mind is free to innovate and build,
With every hope and every dream fulfilled.
The nation swells with comfort and with ease,
A ship of state upon prosperous seas.

[verse5]
Stage 5: From Abundance, Complacency! [spoken]

The harvest gathered, the granaries are full.
The watchful heart grows weak and slow and dull.
Then take for granted all their fathers won,
The golden ages burn beneath the sun.
The past recedes, a story told in stone,
And future troubles feel so far and unknown.

[verse6]
Stage 6: From Complacency, Apathy Creeps! [spoken]

The soul grows weary while the body sleeps.
Then turn from truth toward the shallower deeps.
The public square is silent, and the halls,
Are filled with whispers and with empty calls.
To close their eyes to every growing wrong,
And lose the tune of freedom's founding song.

[verse7]
Stage 7: From Apathy, Dependence Grows! [spoken]

To trade their birthright for the bread it throws.
The simple deal, the bargain that they choose:
To shed their duties for a life they cannot lose.
To ask for comfort, safety, and for care,
And hand their burdens to the powerful there.
The easy yoke, a comfort and a curse,
To ask for less while things are getting worse.

[verse8]
Stage 8: From Dependence, Back to Chains! [spoken]

The final winter of a land in pains.
The strong who promised care become the thief,
And steal the final measure of belief.
The people kneel, for strength has turned to rust,
And yield their liberty to gain their crust.
The cycle turns, a bitter truth in stone,
And from the ashes, a new seed is sown.

[chorus]
These are the Eight Stages of a Democracy.
Tytler's Cycle of Civilization theory.