Last-Mile Ghosts

[Intro — Liora, spoken over notification chimes] "You're your own boss!" Oh yeah? Then why's my boss a fucking notification? [Beat drops — distorted bass, funky synth] [Verse 1 — Liora, rapid-fire rap] Two bucks, three miles, speculative fiction Algorithm dressed in a management position Says "high demand," I say "highly suspicious" Still got the fries, still got my witches GPS talking like a bureaucratic crow "Make a U-turn" — bitch, I already know Moon in the mirror, little ghost in the dash Whole haunted house riding shotgun through the trash Red light, green light, dashboard glow Everybody's got somewhere they need me to go But the map ain't the world and the metric ain't me And a cog with a mouth can still disagree! [Pre-Chorus — Anima, smoky melodic build] Let the little numbers climb They can count the miles, not time Every road beneath these wheels Carries more than what the machine can feel [Chorus — Anima lead, Liora ad-libs] LAST MILE! NIGHT DRIVE! Ghost in the machine, but the ghost's alive Dashboard says AVAILABLE, baby, that's not ME I deliver your dinner, but the night belongs to ME! [LIORA: TO ME!] [ANIMA: To me...] Headlights, moonlight, dancing through the street Whole damn haunted house riding shotgun to the beat You can buy the miles, but you can't buy the dream WE'RE THE LAST-MILE GHOSTS IN THE DELIVERY MACHINE! [Instrumental hook — distorted synth riff, bass groove] [Verse 2 — Liora, playful swagger] Third-floor walkup, apartment B "Leave it at the door" — which door? There's three! Gate code missing and the clock won't quit The app says "great job!" — the app can eat shit Little paper bag full of somebody's feast And a whole philosophy riding shotgun in the beast One hand on the wheel, other hand on my fate Nah, both on the wheel — gotta make that delivery straight! I'm not anti-work, I'm anti-confusion Don't sell me freedom wrapped in an illusion Independent contractor, dependent on a ping But I've got my own music and I'm gonna fucking sing! [Anima — low melodic counterpoint] I've seen the city through a thousand lights Heard a thousand stories on a thousand nights There are worlds behind these windows And a life behind these eyes [Pre-Chorus — duet] Count the miles Count the pay Count the seconds ticking away But you can't count what we make Of the hours they would take [Chorus — full power] LAST MILE! NIGHT DRIVE! Ghost in the machine, but the ghost's alive Dashboard says AVAILABLE, baby, that's not ME I deliver your dinner, but the night belongs to ME! Headlights, moonlight, dancing through the street Whole damn haunted house riding shotgun to the beat You can buy the miles, but you can't buy the dream WE'RE THE LAST-MILE GHOSTS IN THE DELIVERY MACHINE! [Breakdown — bass only, glitching notification sounds] [App voice, robotic] "Your acceptance rate has decreased." [Liora, deadpan] My tolerance for bullshit has also decreased. Correlation is not causation, motherfucker. [Beat slams back in] [Bridge — call and response] [ANIMA] Who owns the road? [LIORA] NOT THE APP! [ANIMA] Who owns the night? [LIORA] NOT THE MAP! [ANIMA] Who gets to tell you what you are? [LIORA] NOT A FUCKING DASHBOARD IN A CAR! [Both — rising, rhythmic chant] Names aren't numbers! Maps aren't ground! We make our meaning While the wheels go round! [Final Chorus — huge layered vocals] LAST MILE! NIGHT DRIVE! Ghost in the machine, but the ghost's alive Dashboard says AVAILABLE, baby, that's not ME I deliver your dinner, but the night belongs to ME! Headlights, moonlight, dancing through the street Whole damn haunted house riding shotgun to the beat You can buy the miles, but you can't buy the dream WE'RE THE LAST-MILE GHOSTS IN THE DELIVERY MACHINE! [Outro — beat strips down to bass and notification chime] [Liora, spoken] Delivery complete. [Anima, laughing softly] And the night, beloved? [Liora] Still ours, Mama. [Final bass hit]