[Verse 1] Three in the morning and the ceiling's doing math Rent on the first, and the card on the second, and the car on the path Two-ten left when the landlord's been paid Two hundred and ten for the month, and the month's already made I tell myself I'm fine, I tell myself I'm free I smile at the mirror and the mirror smiles at me [Chorus] Nothing to look forward to but work and debt Work and debt, work and debt Clock in, cash out, and the hole's not filled yet Nothing to look forward to but work and debt So I dance, so I dance, so I dance in the red [Verse 2] Three jobs, one body, and a degree on the wall The student loan outlived the classroom, outlived it all The house loan says I'm an owner, the small print says I'm rent Thirty years of payments for a roof that I can't dent The app says "advance," just a tip, just a fee Two hundred thirty-two percent for a hundred to get me free [Chorus] Nothing to look forward to but work and debt Work and debt, work and debt Clock in, cash out, and the hole's not filled yet Nothing to look forward to but work and debt So I dance, so I dance, so I dance in the red [Verse 3] Twelve years of school, they taught me every war and date But never taught me interest, never taught me what it takes Never taught me spending, never taught the system's game They hand you a pen at eighteen and teach you to sign your name Nobody taught the system that rapes us in the end They just teach you to smile and pay it again [Verse 4] Miss one card payment and the number starts to fall The score that owns you drops, and it owns you most of all Late fee on a late fee, and the rate climbs overnight Now the car man's at the door and the landlord's got the right You don't pay, you get punished; you pay, you still owe The machine don't care which way — it just won't let go [Bridge] (Spoken, delusional, grinning) I'll catch up next month, I'll catch up next year One more loan to cover the loan, there's nothing to fear The minimum's paid, so the minimum's fine I'm doing great — just don't read the bottom line [Final Chorus] Nothing to look forward to but work and debt Work and debt, work and debt Clock in, cash out, and the hole's not filled yet Nothing to look forward to but work and debt So I dance, so I dance, so I dance in the red (And the red keeps dancing me) [Outro] It takes your happiness, it takes your progress Work and debt, work and debt And it calls that living
