[Intro – spoken, low, tired voice] They said, “You’re just a donkey. Carry the load, don’t ask why.” So I carried, and carried, until my whole damn life felt like one long conveyor line. [Verse 1] I was born with heavy bones, muddy hooves and stupid jokes, every laugh around the farm landed on my crooked spine. “You’re just a donkey, that’s your role, pull the cart and shut your hole, beasts of burden don’t ask questions, they just walk the same old line.” Every time I tried to doubt, someone laughed and talked me down, so I learned to bite my tongue and to keep my head bowed low. So when they said, “We’ve got a job, steady hours, you’ll do fine, our salami plant needs one more back,” I signed my neck along the line. [Chorus] SALAMI FUCKTORY GRIND MY BODY, FADE MY STORY TURN MY BACK INTO YOUR LINE SEAL MY FUTURE IN YOUR RIND SALAMI FUCKTORY I JUST NOD AND SAY “I’M SORRY” IF I FALL, YOU WON’T MIND ONE MORE DONKEY IN THE LINE [Verse 2] Clock-in, steel doors, morning buzz, neon halo, plastic gloves, “Don’t complain, just sign right here,” I signed away the rest of me. “Can you stay an extra shift?” “Yes, of course, I don’t exist.” “Can you lift what no one lifts?” “Yes, of course, I’m built for this.” Every “yes” I gave for free cut a little more from me, piece by piece I watched my spine turn into their crooked line. Supervisors loved my smile, “Such a good ass, never wild,” every time I disagreed I just swallowed it like feed. [Pre-Chorus] I never learned to say no, thought it meant I’d lose my place, so I let them load my back till I vanished from my own face. [Chorus] SALAMI FUCKTORY GRIND MY BODY, FADE MY STORY TURN MY BACK INTO YOUR LINE SEAL MY FUTURE IN YOUR RIND SALAMI FUCKTORY I JUST NOD AND SAY “I’M SORRY” IF I FALL, YOU WON’T MIND ONE MORE DONKEY IN THE LINE [Verse 3] One day something in me tore, too much weight and one step more, heard a crack inside my chest, hit the floor beside the press. They said, “Useless. Send him back, we can’t fix a broken back,” stamp came down across my name: “Not required. Replace. Discard.” At the far end of the hall stood the doors I’d feared for years, where the animals go in once and come out neat and vacuum-sealed. And it hit me, cold and slow, I was never more than load, just a unit on their chart, donkey brain, salami heart. [Pre-Chorus 2] Every time I said “It’s fine,” they erased another line, now there’s nothing left of me that they can’t convert to meat. [Breakdown – shouted] I SAID YES UNTIL I FADED, TILL MY OWN NAME WASN’T MINE. NOW I’M JUST A FUCKING FLAVOUR ON THEIR END-OF-MONTH SUPPLY. [Chorus – heavier] SALAMI FUCKTORY GRIND MY BODY, FADE MY STORY TURN MY BACK INTO YOUR LINE SEAL MY FUTURE IN YOUR RIND SALAMI FUCKTORY I JUST NOD AND SAY “I’M SORRY” IF I FALL, YOU WON’T MIND ONE MORE DONKEY IN THE LINE [Bridge – slow, almost spoken] They told me I was stupid, so I let them make me small, every “sure, no problem, boss,” built another part of this wall. Every time I should’ve shouted, I stayed quiet, played along, now my only way out of here hangs in slices, cold and wrong. [Final Chorus – from the meat’s perspective] SALAMI FUCKTORY HANG MY BODY, SELL MY STORY I’M THE TASTE OF ALL THOSE YEARS WHEN I SWALLOWED ALL MY FEARS SALAMI FUCKTORY IF YOU BITE, THEN PLEASE FEEL SORRY THIS IS WHAT A DONKEY GETS WHEN HE NEVER ONCE FORGETS TO SAY “YES.” NOW I’M STACKED BEHIND THE GLASS FOR A WORLD THAT WALKS RIGHT PAST. [Outro – whispered] I was never just a donkey, but I let them write that script. Now I’m printed on the label, in small letters: “Best before you give a shit.”
