[Verse 1: Riot-grrrl female lead, snarling over the pounding fast punk drums] Tenth floor, glass walls, and a man in a vest Got a bowl full of mints and a badge on his chest Played our demo on a speaker the size of a shoe Said, "The kids are gonna love it if we fix it for you" Said the scream's a little much and the swear's a little rude And the drummer hits too hard for the radio mood Said, "We'll put you on a bus with a stylist and a plan And a girl who does your eyebrows and a guy who does your van" "Just sing it a little sweeter, lose a little sound" Then he slid it 'cross the table, said, "Just turn it down" [Chorus: Riot-grrrl female lead] He said turn it down a notch and we could make you a star Lose the scream, lose the swear, lose the scratch on the guitar So I picked up the pen and I looked at the ground And I turned it down, yeah, I turned it down [Verse 2: Riot-grrrl female lead, faster, the buzzsaw guitars pushin'] Van's got three hundred thousand miles and no heat Rent's due Tuesday and we're splittin' one seat Jess says, "Sign it, we can fix it in a year" Mo says, "Sign it, and the band is over here" Seven years in basements with a broom in my hand Seven years of sweepin' up the floor for the band Every bloody lip, every broken string Every night I lost my voice and came back to sing And he wants it in a bottle with a bow on the lid Wants the girl with the eyeliner, not the girl in the pit [Chorus: Riot-grrrl female lead] He said turn it down a notch and we could make you a star Lose the scream, lose the swear, lose the scratch on the guitar So I picked up the pen and I looked at the ground And I turned it down, yeah, I turned it down [Missing Word: Riot-grrrl female lead, the last word drops out and the guitar slams in its place] Showcase night in their room on the floor below Every suit in a chair, every chair in a row Man in the vest by the bar with a grin 'Cause he thinks I signed it and he thinks I'm in So I plug in the cable and I turn every knob Past the line on the dial and the end of the job And the drummer hits so hard that a ceiling tile drops And the man in the vest sees it never stops Here's the one little word that you wanted me to lose Keep your bus and your stylist and your radio, you [Chorus: Riot-grrrl female lead, last time, louder than all of it] He said turn it down a notch and we could make you a star Lose the scream, lose the swear, lose the scratch on the guitar So I picked up the pen and I looked at the ground And I turned it down, yeah, I turned it down [Outro: Riot-grrrl female lead] Never signed it, never will Turn it down, and it's louder still [End]
