Signal on the Roof

[Instrumental Intro – clipped beat, fragmented voices] [Spoken] One bar. Don’t move. Hold it there. [Verse 1] Power went out at quarter past nine Fan quit turning, whole block went black Up three flights past the laundry line Phone in my teeth, laptop in a bag Roof still warm from the afternoon Generator coughing two streets down Client says: “Send before midnight.” Upload starts. Then drops back out. [Pre-Chorus] Higher. Left of the dish. No, back. There. Don’t move. [Chorus] One bar — don’t move Send it now, push it through One bar — don’t move Forty gigs and a deadline due Signal on the roof Whole city under my shoes If it holds for thirty seconds I can get this file to you [Verse 2] Down below, the barber kills his lights Food-stall smoke hangs over the lane Motorbikes thread through a line of cars Someone downstairs shouts my name “Did it send?” Not yet. Phone gets hot in the palm of my hand Laptop balanced on the water tank Progress crawls from twenty-eight to thirty-one Then back [Pre-Chorus] Higher. Turn a little. Wait. There. Don’t breathe. [Chorus] One bar — don’t move Send it now, push it through One bar — don’t move Forty gigs and a deadline due Signal on the roof Whole city under my shoes If it holds for thirty seconds I can get this file to you [Instrumental Break – broken beat, chopped vocal fragments] [Verse 3] Message lands: “Need the stems as well.” I laugh out loud. Of course you do. Neighbor’s kid leans over the wall: “You working?” “Trying.” He nods like that explains everything Then points toward the tower: “Other side gets two.” So we move the chair three meters east and somehow he’s right. [Bridge – beat strips down] Rain starts. Not much. Enough. I wrap the laptop in my shirt and keep the phone above my head 86% 91% 93% Rain gets harder 97% [Build] Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t— 99%. [Drop] 100%. [Final Chorus] Two bars — look at that Send the stems, send the track Two bars — don’t get proud Could be gone before I climb back down Signal on the roof Rain running into my shoes File sent at twelve-oh-two Close enough. That’ll do. [Outro] [Spoken] Battery: six percent. Tomorrow? We do it again. Don’t move Don’t move