People Need To Know

— Booklet: https://tinyurl.com/32mtcd34 — A woman discovers a ten-year-old, tasteless tweet by a musician who is now famous. She posts the screenshot with the caption: "People need to know." The musician loses work. The woman who unearthed the tweet is hailed as someone who exposes the truth and gives interviews about responsibility. Then, someone finds a nasty post she herself wrote fifteen years ago. For a moment, she stares at the screen. Then she begins deleting her entire timeline – while irate journalists are already ringing her doorbell outside. — Bored on a Monday, nothing to mend Lost in the scrolling that never will end Sifting through outrage, digging the floor Way back in twenty-fourteen once more A sleepy pop idol, preaching whole grains Once fried a baby seal out in the plains I hit the keys, righteous and loud Fed the beast to a ravenous crowd People need to know! Feed the public fire! Watch the statues fall! The screen demands a show! People need to know! Three hours later, his contracts were dust I was the pillar of ethics and trust Clean cotton shirt for the streaming webcam Teaching the nation to censor the sham Philosophic, solemn and grave Pointing out who is depraved People need to know! Feed the public fire! Watch the statues fall! The screen demands a show! People need to know! Next morning, nine-thirty, coffee was cold A digital relic, fifteen years old A fossil unearthed from an ancient domain My handle, my words, my personal stain Mustard and guinea pigs, bowling alley club sin A joke so grotesque that it crawled on my skin “No one survives their own guillotine." Scroll back far enough Scroll back far enough Every saint turns to rust Scroll back far enough Sweat on the plastic, feverish pace Erasing fifteen years of my face Right-click and vanish, sweep out the track Delete the entire damn universe back! Panic in overdrive, wiping the trace “Damn." People need to know! They're at the door! Feed the public fire! The moral war! No one beats the game! Share the blame! Down the wire we go! People need to know! They're at the door! People need to know!