[Intro – Needle Drop and Drum Break] [Chopped Corporate Voices] Strong candidate Great experience Almost perfect Not quite right [Male Lead] All right Let’s break that down [Verse 1 – Bass and Breakbeat] Five rounds deep, you knew my story Every project, every scar Said I joined the hands-on detail To the view from where you are Then the final message thanked me For a strength that went too far [Feedback Break – Call and Response] [Corporate Voices] Strong communicator [Male Lead] Too direct? [Corporate Voices] Proven leadership [Male Lead] Not your kind? [Corporate Voices] Broad experience [Male Lead] Too broad? [Corporate Voices] It came down to overall fit [Male Lead] Overall what? [Pre-Chorus – Beat Reverses] One step forward Two steps back Change the measure Change the fact [Chorus – Sung Hook] FEED—BACK—BREAK—DOWN Break it down for me You praise the very thing I did Then call it my deficiency [Beat Break – Scratched Voice] Not the right— Right— Right fit [Verse 2 – Heavier Bass] You saw “Manager” on my résumé Assumed my hands-on days were through You saw me choose a smaller title And called it something seniors never do I said the work was worth the change You heard, “He’ll leave by month number two” [Assumption Stack – Chopped Voices] Too senior Too risky Wants more money Might get bored Won’t take direction Won’t stay long [Male Lead] You made a candidate in your head And rejected him instead [Assumption Break – Stop-Time] [Male Lead] You never asked [Corporate Voices] We assumed [Male Lead] You never asked [Corporate Voices] We knew [Male Lead] You wrote the ending Before I entered the room [Chorus – Added Claps] FEED—BACK—BREAK—DOWN Break it down for me Too qualified to take the job Too unemployed to disagree [Salary Breakdown – Drums and Bass Only] [Corporate Voice] What are your expectations? [Male Lead] What is the approved range? [Corporate Voice] We prefer to stay flexible [Male Lead] What currency? [Corporate Voice] That depends on location [Male Lead] Base or total compensation? [Corporate Voice] Let’s not limit the conversation [Male Lead] T4 or incorporated? [Corporate Voice] We’ll discuss that at a later stage [Verse 3 – Groove Rebuilds] No range written in the posting No country by the dollar sign You know the budget and the ceiling But the first wrong guess is mine Ask too high, I’m unrealistic Ask too low, I lack the drive [Chopped Corporate Voices] Too high Too low Too soon Too late [Male Lead] The number wasn’t even published But my answer sealed my fate [Pre-Chorus – Orchestra Hits] One step forward Two steps back Hide the number Blame the ask [Chorus – Full Street-Dance Groove] FEED—BACK—BREAK—DOWN Break it down for me You keep the only answer hidden Then reject me for the mystery [Verse 4 – Beat Becomes Sparse] You read the city by my name And mapped the limits of my life Too far to move, too hard to travel Too settled here to even try You never asked what I would change You chose the answer on my behalf [Location Assumptions – Sample Stack] Won’t relocate Won’t commute Won’t take less Won’t stay long Too established Too ambitious Family rooted Decision made [Male Lead] You built a future I never chose Then rejected me for living there [Bridge – Feedback Samples Accelerate] [Corporate Voices] More confidence Less intensity More personality Less informality More strategic More hands-on More concise Please elaborate Be authentic Use our language [Male Lead] You wanted someone independent Who’d never challenge what you do Your feedback is a horoscope Whatever happens, it comes true [Dance Breakdown – Drums, Claps and Chopped Voices] Too much Not enough Too much Not enough Very strong Not the fit Perfect match That isn’t it Culture Leadership Presence Tone Something we can’t quite define But somehow should have been known [Final Chorus – Full Band] FEED—BACK—BREAK—DOWN Break it down for me If every strength becomes a fault The fault is not my résumé FEED—BACK—BREAK—DOWN Spin the reason one more time Feedback should help somebody grow Not sanitize a choice you made [Outro – Instruments Drop Out One by One] [Corporate Voice, Polished] We have decided To move in another direction [Male Lead] You never asked Which direction I would move [Corporate Voices, Chopped and Fading] We assumed We assumed We assumed— [Hard Stop]
