[Intro] (filtered IVR) Thank you for calling. (Your call is important to us.) (hold music: marimba, doo-doo / da-da) [Verse 1] I practice calm like a script in my teeth, Smile in my voice, shake underneath. I say my name, I say it twice, The line turns warm like fluorescent white. A marimba grins, it counts my time, While my real words stack up in a line. [Pre-Chorus] “Please listen carefully,” it sings, Like my life is a menu of things. Press one for “billing,” two for “change,” Three for the loop that stays the same. [Chorus] Your call is important to us (important to us) Please stay on the line (stay on the line) Higher-than-normal hurt today But you’re next in line Your call is important to us (important to us) We’ll be right with you (right with you) If you hang up now, you lose your place And I lose you too [Post-Chorus] (hold music) Stay on the line, stay on the line (doo-doo / da-da) [Verse 2] Press one for help, press two for “maybe,” Press three to hear the song again, baby. I hit zero—get a perfect “no,” Transferred back to the start of the show. There’s a swing in that glossy tune, Like it knows I’ll be here soon. [Pre-Chorus] “Estimated time: a moment more,” I’ve heard that line a hundred times before. I’m not a ticket, not a chart, Not a “callback” on a dashboard. [Chorus] Your call is important to us (important to us) Please stay on the line (stay on the line) Higher-than-normal hurt today But you’re next in line Your call is important to us (important to us) We’ll be right with you (right with you) If you hang up now, you lose your place And I lose my grip [Bridge] (hold music hard-cuts; dial tone pulse, dry vocal) Hello—are you there? I’m talking to a system that can’t care. If you’re human, break the pattern, Say my name like it matters. One breath, one word, one sign— Don’t make me learn to hold this line. [Final Chorus] (key lift; bigger harmonies) Your call is important to us (important to us) Please stay on the line (stay on the line) Higher-than-normal hurt today But you’re next in line Your call is important to us (important to us) We’ll be right with you (right with you) If you hang up now, you lose your place So I stay… and stay [Outro] (filtered IVR) Thank you for your patience. (hold music drops out; voicemail click)
