Twelve-Thirty Shuffle Protocol (Dockrat42)

[VERSE 1: DAY CREW] Morning’s still stuck in the steel Barcode light makes everything real Forklifts waking, slow and loud Moving weight through a tired crowd Dockrat’s already on the floor Red hardhat near bay door No speech, just counts the load Like time is something you unload [PRE-CHORUS: DAY CREW] It’s not morning, it’s not done It’s the edge before shifts become one [CHORUS: ALL] Twelve-thirty shuffle, line divide Same ground, different side Hands cross over, work stays true Nothing stops when we switch who [VERSE 2: NIGHT CREW] We step in while the sun is high Same concrete, same sky Morning fades but doesn’t leave It just hands off what we receive Someone’s still tying off the day Someone’s already clearing the bay Dockrat doesn’t step aside Just stays where both shifts collide [VERSE 3: DOCKRAT42] I don’t start it, I don’t end I just keep the system bent Day runs into night too fast I stand where both are passed Every pallet knows the rule Nothing here moves clean or cool Just motion, weight, and steady hand Holding where the shifts are planned [PRE-CHORUS: NIGHT CREW] Clock moves but it won’t explain Why the same floor feels changed again [CHORUS: ALL] Twelve-thirty shuffle, line divide Same ground, different side Hands cross over, work stays true Nothing stops when we switch who [BRIDGE] [sound design: forklift engine idle, radio static low] We don’t stop the shift We just replace it [FINAL CHORUS] Twelve-thirty shuffle, line divide Steel remembers both sides Work keeps moving, nothing new Just different hands passing through [OUTRO] [sound design: bay door echo, forklift fading] Dockrat42 watches the line settle. The other shift is already here.