(lean, hooky, with cues) [Intro 8 bars] (pulsing bass + clean guitar + tiny “menu click” percussion) [Verse 1] There’s a guy at the coffee shop, same line every day Laughs two seconds late like it’s scripted that way He says “living the dream” with the exact same grin I swear I’ve heard him say it on a loop in my skin [Pre] I wave, he waves back, like a mirrored reply My name feels buffered when he looks in my eyes The room holds its breath, the lights hum a code And the air tastes faintly like a loading road [Chorus big] Non player characters, smiling on command Walking through the cutscene with their hands in their hands If I ask a real question, they just blink and reset Say “I can help with that” like a polite little threat Polite little threat [Post-Chorus tag] (oh-oh) reset (let the guitar hook answer) [Verse 2] A couple on the sidewalk, arguing in type Same words, same volume, same “we’re fine” stripe And a kid in a hoodie says “nice weather, huh” While lightning hits the billboard and he doesn’t even flinch once [Pre] I try to step sideways, the world snaps me back Like invisible rails in a beige little track My phone buzzes twice, no message appears Just a soft little ding like the game overhears [Chorus big] Non player characters, smiling on command Walking through the cutscene with their hands in their hands If I ask a real question, they just blink and reset Say “I can help with that” like a polite little threat Polite little threat [Desync section 16–24 bars] (band stays same tempo, but accents shift; coin-plinks and clicks get louder; then everything snaps perfectly back) [Bridge minimal, eerie] Maybe I’m the stranger Maybe I’m the loop Maybe I’m the dialogue that somebody else chews So I whisper to the sidewalk “tell me what is true” And the streetlight flickers once like it almost answered you [Final Chorus biggest] Non player characters, smiling on command Walking through the cutscene with their hands in their hands If I ask a real question, they just blink and reset Say “I can help with that” like a polite little threat Polite little threat [Extended outro 60–120s, evolving riff, no fade] Reset… reset… (then let the hook turn into an instrumental riff and run)
