
Remain Seated
[Verse 1: deadpan monotone male MC, flat and dry over the pounding kuduro drums] Eleven summers in the booth beside the Widowmaker gate Ninety-one feet of yellow steel, I check the bars and wait Two thousand riders every day, they scream, they cry, they pray And I say the same nine sentences the same flat way all day "Welcome to the Widowmaker, please remove your hats and glasses" "Secure all loose articles," I tell it to the masses Kids are shakin', dads are sweatin', somebody's date is lookin' green I don't blink, I don't smile, I'm a parkin' meter on the scene But every Saturday at noon, a woman in a yellow coat Front car, left seat, every week, and she don't scream a note [Hook: deadpan monotone male MC, flat as a ruler] Please remain seated, keep your arms and legs inside Hold the bar in front of you, it's a very simple ride I say it flat as a parkin' lot, I say it from the top Please remain seated till the ride comes to a complete stop [Verse 2: a little faster, still dead flat] I can't flirt, I never could, my face don't move, my voice don't bend So I started changin' one word of the speech on every weekend Week one, "Please remove your hats, your glasses and your doubts" Week two, "Keep your arms and legs inside, I'll keep the others out" Week three, "Hold on to the person next to you," she held the air Week four, "Friday's not recommended for the lonely," and she stared Then my manager came down and said, "You stick to the script, son" I said, "Sir, I am the script, I been the script since day one" [Hook: flat as a ruler] Please remain seated, keep your arms and legs inside Hold the bar in front of you, it's a very simple ride I say it flat as a parkin' lot, I say it from the top Please remain seated till the ride comes to a complete stop [Build: the lift-hill build, the drums thin to a ratcheting click that climbs, then the kuduro beat drops back in full] Click, click, click, the chain is pullin', ninety feet and climbin' slow And she turns around up in the front car with a sheet of paper, though Every word I changed is on it, circled neat in purple ink And the train goes over the top before I even get to think [Verse 3: deadpan monotone male MC, flat, the kuduro drums slamming] Train rolls back into the station, everybody's hair is wild She walks right up to my booth, the paper in her hand, and smiled "Doubts out, others out, hold on, and Friday, I can read" "That's the worst way anybody ever asked, and yes, indeed" "But say it like a person," so I take a breath and try And it comes out flat as ever, 'cause that's all I got inside So I say it in my voice, the only one I got, the flat "Please remain seated, ma'am," and she says, "Stayin', and that's that" [Hook: everything in] Please remain seated, keep your arms and legs inside Hold the bar in front of you, it's a very simple ride I say it flat as a parkin' lot, I say it from the top Please remain seated till the ride comes to a complete stop [End]

