[Verse 1] They came in buses when the moon was low Paperwork clean, destination unknown Steel gates smile with a clang and a lock Welcome to the place where the clock never stops [Pre-Chorus] No questions, no trial, no name on the list Just a number, a jump suit, a wrist full of twist They hand you the sledge, they point to the pile Say “welcome to purpose” with a sergeant’s dry smile [Chorus] Put them in the box Make them break rocks We always need gravel We always need gravel Put them in the box Crush until they drop We always need gravel Yeah we always need gravel [Verse 2] Dust in the lungs like a permanent fog Hearts keep the tempo of the quarry’s dull thud One more layer peeled, one more ton moved Proof of the system that can never be proved [Pre-Chorus] The roads get wider, the cities stay bright Freeways keep flowing through somebody’s night They pour the foundation, they level the grade While the ones who supplied it just quietly fade [Chorus] Put them in the box Make them break rocks We always need gravel We always need gravel Put them in the box Till the body just stops We always need gravel God we always need gravel [Bridge] (slower, almost spoken) Every driveway you drive Every patio stone Every aggregate mile Carries somebody’s bone Every smooth parking lot Every highway that rolls Is poured on a promise That nobody told [Final Chorus – heavier, layered vocals] Put them in the box Make them break rocks We always need gravel (we always need gravel) Put them in the box Till the last heartbeat knocks We always need gravel We forever need gravel [Outro – fading, repetitive, cold] Gravel… gravel… We always need gravel… (always need gravel…)
