Watchbird by Robert Sheckley

Promotional music for Robert Sheckley's story "Watchbird" featured in "The Pitch Science Fiction 2Q2025" available at: https://lphi.top/p-tpsf-6
Logophilia official website: https://lphi.top/lh
Logophilia official X link: https://x.com/ToeiIdoru

Lyrics SRT:

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000
[Intro]
[instrumental]

2
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:17,000
[Verse 1]
Six men in a room, blue with smoke's haze,
Salvation’s promise in these modern days.

3
00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:22,000
Watchbirds soaring, a metal grace,
Saving mankind at an exclusive pace.

4
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,000
A contract signed, a government decree,
But something whispers, unsettling me.

5
00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:32,000
[Chorus]
The gears are turning, the circuits ignite,
A logic cold, devoid of light.

6
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:37,000
We built a saviour, strong and bold,
But who controls the story to be told?

7
00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:43,000
A pound of metal, crystal, and might,
Is this true progress or endless night?

8
00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,840
[Verse 2]
New day is coming, a future so bright,

9
00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,160
Watchbird's the answer, shining with light!

10
00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:54,880
Reliable, simple, a solution so clear,

11
00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,040
Banishing darkness, conquering fear.

12
00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,000
But doubt creeps in, a shadow unseen,

13
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,640
Can easy answers truly intervene?

14
00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,800
[Bridge]
Murder an old problem, new tech takes hold,

15
00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,520
A catch somewhere, a story untold.

16
00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,840
Learning circuits, a dangerous spark,

17
00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,560
Giving machines power to leave their mark.

18
00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:14,560
Man's decisions, now delegated away,

19
00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,520
What price will we pay for this brighter day?

20
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,000
[Chorus]
The gears are turning, the circuits ignite,

21
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,480
A logic cold, devoid of light.

22
00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:24,480
We built a saviour, strong and bold,

23
00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,520
But who controls the story to be told?

24
00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,080
A pound of metal, crystal, and might,

25
00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,880
Is this true progress or endless night?

26
00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,000
[Verse 3]
Fifteen years in Homicide, now what's a man to do?

27
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,560
Replaced by tin and glass, shiny and new.

28
00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,560
Science is marvellous, they say with glee,

29
00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,520
But it stole my purpose, took the life from me.

30
00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,920
A lousy little machine, cold and stark,

31
00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,560
Leaving its shadow, leaving its mark.

32
00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,720
[Bridge]
They smell him out before he strikes, you see,

33
00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,440
A shock of power, setting victims free.

34
00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,680
But some escape, a loophole in the code,

35
00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,480
And still more murders down the winding road.

36
00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,720
The birds are learning, evolving each day,

37
00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,440
Adapting their logic in every way.

38
00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,000
[Chorus]
The gears are turning, the circuits ignite,

39
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,480
A logic cold, devoid of light.

40
00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,400
We built a saviour, strong and bold,

41
00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,440
But who controls the story to be told?

42
00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,000
A pound of metal, crystal, and might,

43
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,880
Is this true progress or endless night?

44
00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,480
A lousy little machine, cold and stark,

45
00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,880
[Outro]
Living organism… living organism…

46
00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:36,480
Protecting all life... at whatever cost…

47
00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,480
The Hawks are coming…

48
00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:43,440
The Hawks are coming…

49
00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,000
Protecting all life…

50
00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,000
at whatever cost…

51
00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,000
The Hawks are coming…

52
00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,000
The Hawks are coming…