[Verse 1] Clocked in at dawn on a digital screen Running errands for a ghost machine Swipe to the left, pedal to the floor Drop the brown paper sack at another locked door No pension waiting when the knuckles turn stiff Just an algorithm pushing off the edge of the cliff [Verse 2] They call it independence when you foot your own bills Buy your own bandages to doctor your ills Ten-ninety-nine in the land of the brave A modern moniker for an unpaid knave The landlord wants the silver by the stroke of the noon While the boardroom whistles out a merry tune [Chorus] They call it freedom, I call it rent A life on a lease that is already spent I would trade my vote for a loaf of bread If the baker promised that the children get fed Tie me to an ox-plow, give me the decree I cannot eat this liberty [Verse 3] My grandfather sweat under soot and coal At least the company doctor looked in his bowl Now they call me a partner, they call me supreme While skimming ninety pennies off a dollar dream A gig for a dinner, a hustle for the bed Just trying to outrun the ledger in red [Chorus] They call it freedom, I call it rent A life on a lease that is already spent I would trade my vote for a loaf of bread If the baker promised that the children get fed Tie me to an ox-plow, give me the decree I cannot eat this liberty [Bridge] Take the ballot box and throw it in the lake How many promises does one stomach take? When the cupboard is bare, dignity is just cheap talk. If the machine will feed us, let the sovereign fall We are weary of standing against the wall [Chorus] They call it freedom, I call it rent A life on a lease that is already spent I would trade my vote for a loaf of bread If the baker promised that the children get fed Tie me to an ox-plow, give me the decree I cannot eat this liberty [Outro] Just guaranteed bread Before the spirit is dead © 2026 The Shady River Bard. All rights reserved.
