OUT NOW
Aired on The Promised Land (Tony Michaelides, ex-Island and Factory Records), October 8, 2026.
ABOUT THE SONG
Tide Is Turning is a protest song wearing a fairy tale’s clothes. There was a country that won a war, and it turned its victory into a store — and once war is the business, peace is the thing you can’t afford. The tune is bright and the melody goes down easy. That’s deliberate. It’s easy on the ear and harder on the conscience, and by the time you notice what you’ve been humming, it’s already yours.
It doesn’t end where protest songs usually end. The last verse isn’t a warning, it’s a turn: the tide goes out, and it also comes back. Whatever is built to seem permanent isn’t, and the people footing the bill outnumber the people sending it. That’s the whole argument, and it’s meant to be sung rather than shouted.
Written, performed and produced by Stephen Jaymes. Mixed by Zsolt Virag. Released September 25, 2026. Masters and publishing owned outright — for sync or licensing: hello@stephenjaymes.com.
FULL LYRICS
There was a country that won a war
They turned their victory into a store
Like they forgot what they fought it for
They all got in on the great ground floor
Now they needed war all the time
To manufacture the perfect crime
Do it all on the taxpayer dime
Throw their memories in quicklime
The tide is turning
It’s turning on you
The world is burning
So we can see
They shine a light and the guns are tossed
They’re calculating the unit cost
“Give a home to the ones who are lost”
They’ll never know they’ve been double-crossed
They weaponized a sacred rite
Devoting us to an endless fight
A metaphor made a Godless blight
A great insult against all Earthlight
But the tide is turning
It’s turning on you
And the world is burning
So we can see what’s true
The universe watches us tonight
The heavens are parting here tonight
Whole world’s gonna feel this one tonight
I wish you were here with me tonight
CONTACT
Stephen Jaymes
hello@stephenjaymes.com
Press kit: stephenjaymes.com/epk
