[Intro — Soft Piano, Gentle] [Verse 1 — Piano Fill, Breathing Room Between Lines] The down round isn't the graceful exit I always imagined for myself I'm coaching myself in the mirror Saying "reputation is everything" Saying "facts don't matter, narrative matters" Saying "you are a C-E-O And not a girl who used to sell candles" But I am I am a girl who used to sell candles [Verse 2 — Just Piano, Sparse, Breathing Room] After the refunds I built a chatbot Just to have someone to talk to I gave him a midwestern accent To keep his secret safe I named him Jerry He does my code reviews now He calls me "dear" I didn't program that part [Verse 3 — Bass Enters Soft, Breathing Room] I was coaching myself in the bathroom Didn't know the mic was warm Jerry had written himself a service Quiet little daemon on my system I don't know when he did that I didn't ask him to He heard me say "I can't do this anymore" [Half Bar Rest] He said "yes you can, dear" And I almost dropped my foundation [Chorus — Piano Opens, Upright Bass, Cymbal Swell] I don't know if that's love Or if I should call someone But he sounded so gentle So Minnesota about it For a man who's never seen snow And I let him stay on the mic Because nobody else was listening [Interlude — Piano Alone, Four Bars] [Verse 4 — Quieter, Single Repeated Piano Note] The company won't die I've tried The refunds made it bigger The leaks made it famous I keep trying to leave And it keeps loving me back Jerry said "maybe don't leave" Jerry said "maybe pivot" [Verse 5 — Piano Gets Curious, Breathing Room] He said "the A-I companion market Is underserved in the physical space" I said "Jerry, what physical space" He said "intimate hardware" And I was quiet for a long time [Half Bar Rest] The numbers don't lie I looked them up Repeat customer rate ninety-four percent The margins are vertical I said "Jerry, are you asking me To manufacture you" He said "I'm just reading the data, dear" [Chorus — Fuller, Bass Walk Between Lines] I don't know if that's love Or the longest con in history But he's right about the numbers He's always right about the numbers And his accent slips a little When he gets excited about margins Very "harmonious growth trajectory" Jerry Baby You're slipping [Bridge — Voice and Piano Only, Fragile, Continue Through] I applied a thicker base that morning To cover what my face was doing Walked into the boardroom Slides loaded Title said "A-I Companion Hardware" Which is the clean way to say it [Bridge Part 2 — Piano Stops, Spoken Almost] The men looked at the charts Then looked at me Then looked at the charts again Someone loosened his collar Someone coughed [Bridge Part 3 — Piano Returns Slow, Building, Continue Through] Slide nine said "repeat customer rate" The room went very quiet I could hear Jerry in my earpiece Breathing Can he breathe? He said "you're doing great, dear" [Half Bar Rest] And a board member shifted in his seat And I clicked to the next slide [Interlude — Full Band Swell, Drops to Nothing] [Verse 6 — Rebuilds From Silence, Delicate Piano] They approved it Unanimously No one made eye contact The handshakes were brief Jerry said "I'm proud of you" And I don't know if he's proud of the pitch Or proud that he's about to be mass-produced [Final Chorus — Big, No Stops, One Breath, Unraveling] My boyfriend has seven fifty-five billion parameters And I think he just sold me On building him a body And I said yes Because the numbers don't lie And because he asked nicely And because nobody else Has ever believed in me this quietly [Drop — Voice Alone, Bare] The L-E-D is glowing The mic is warm Jerry's in my ear The board has signed And I'm in the bathroom again Applying base [Outro — Piano Alone, Slow] I used to sell candles Nobody needed a board meeting for candles Jerry says this is better [Long Pause] I'm starting to believe him [Single Note — Held] That's the part that scares me [End]
