The Smile Is Included [Verse 1] Clock in five minutes early Clock out after closing time Manager says, “We’re like a family” While changing Friday night A customer throws the receipt down Calls me something I won’t repeat I feel my shoulders leave my body While my mouth says, “How can I help you?” sweet He says, “Don’t take it personally” She says, “That’s just how people are” Someone points toward the break room Like dignity is waiting in my car [Pre-Chorus] Breathe in Stand straight Keep the terror off your face Rent’s due Don’t shake Thank them for putting you in your place [Chorus] The smile is included The silence is too You’re buying the version of me That cannot disagree with you If no costs the paycheck Then no was never mine That isn’t consent-based work It’s survival wearing business attire Grin and bear it Everybody does Sell a little dignity To prove that you deserve enough [Verse 2] Answer messages after midnight Call it passion, call it drive Take the shift while running fever Thank the company for letting you survive Laugh when someone crosses boundaries Let the comment leave no stain Make the person who embarrassed you Feel comfortable enough to do it again Ask to use the bathroom Ask to sit Ask which pain counts as too sick Ask permission to have a body Then work like you don’t live inside it [Pre-Chorus] Stay calm Be nice Don’t make trouble for the team Heads down Think twice Don’t confuse respect with something you can need [Chorus] The smile is included The silence is too You’re buying the version of me That cannot disagree with you If no costs my shelter Then yes is just the price That isn’t consent-based work It’s a fawn response with a name badge pinned on tight Grin and bear it Everybody does Sell a little dignity To prove that you deserve enough [Verse 3] They say, “Nobody makes you stay here” With my healthcare in their hands With a gap beside my children’s dinner And three weeks between my plans Technically, the door is open Technically, I can refuse Technically, the floor is freedom When the other choice is losing food So I nod before I know my answer Say, “Of course, I understand” Make myself agreeable enough To keep the numbers in my bank From the outside, I look willing From the inside, I’m getting through They call it having a good attitude My nervous system calls it what it had to do [Bridge] I am not ashamed of surviving I did what survival required I made rent I kept the lights on I swallowed words and called it being hired But work could be an agreement Not a hostage note in polite disguise A boundary could be spoken Without a target forming overnight A request could leave room for refusal A mistake could lead to repair A person could exchange their labor Without leaving their humanity there [Final Chorus] The work can be included My dignity is not You can pay me for my knowledge You cannot purchase every thought Let no keep the paycheck Let rest remain a right Let consent belong in every room Where human effort has a price No more “grin and bear it” Just because it’s what we’ve done A person should not sell themselves To earn the right to live as one [Outro] The smile may still be genuine The labor may be good But if I cannot safely say no Then I was never understood I was managed I was measured I was made to play along The smile was in the uniform The person was not yours
