Verse 1 They say I’m free ‘cause no one owns my name, But the clock still bites, the rent still came. Paper chains, invisible lines, Work or fall through the cracks of time. Choice on paper, hunger in fact, Pick your poison, don’t look back. Pre-Chorus If every road is a closed-door test, Is it freedom when you choose the least bad guess? Chorus Call it freedom, call it fair, But my hours don’t feel like mine to spare. No master’s whip, no iron brand, Just survival with a trembling hand. Not slavery simple, not freedom clean— It’s autonomy lost in the in-between. Verse 2 Mandates stacked like unpaid dues, Work to eat, work not to lose. Credits for some, cliffs for the rest, Fall one dollar short, fail the test. They say, “You can quit, the door’s right there,” But the door opens to open air. Pre-Chorus If the threat is cold and the threat is need, What’s the difference in the way it leads? Chorus Call it freedom, call it fair, But my hours don’t feel like mine to spare. No chains on my feet, no price on my skin, Just a system that decides if I can win. Not slavery simple, not freedom clean— It’s autonomy lost in the in-between. Bridge History whispers, “We’ve been here before,” Different language, same locked door. Wage, whip, ledger, law— Ownership fades, control stays raw. If I must sell my breath to live, How much of myself did I really give? Break You can keep the word if it makes you calm, But don’t deny the burning palm. When every path demands my time, The choice feels borrowed, not divine. Final Chorus Call it freedom, call it law, Call it nature, call it flaw. I’m not owned, but I’m not free, Just rented by necessity. Not slavery simple, not freedom clean— It’s a human life priced in between.
