[Intro — bass alone, cold] [guitar enters bar 3, angular] [drums bar 5] [Verse 1 — female, composed, controlled] Overqualified They noted that Somewhere between The third round interview And the feedback Nobody sent [guitar stab] Ideas leave the room differently Than they arrived Same words Different mouth Different credit [bass driving] Performance managed For existing In a space That wasn't built With this in mind [synth stab cold] Noted. [Pre-Chorus — steel underneath composure] The metrics don't capture What this costs The KPIs don't measure What was taken [Chorus — coldest delivery, most controlled] R-E S-P E-C T me B-O S-S U-P Boss up R-E S-P E-C T me P-A Y U-P Pay up [Verse 2 — quieter, more precise] Code switch They suggested Adjust the tone The presence The way the room Receives you [guitar most angular] Brought the growth Built the framework Watched the restructure Find its targets With precision [bass deepening] Funny How the decisions Always land The same direction [synth stab] Noted. [Pre-Chorus] The metrics don't capture What this costs The KPIs don't measure What was taken [Chorus] R-E S-P E-C T me B-O S-S U-P Boss up R-E S-P E-C T me P-A Y U-P Pay up [Bridge — stripped, vocal most exposed] [bass alone beneath] Hustler Entrepreneur Business owner Three different versions Of not waiting For the room To decide your worth [guitar returns] Experience is IP None of this Comes free [Final Chorus — fullest, coldest] R-E S-P E-C T me B-O S-S U-P Boss up R-E S-P E-C T me P-A Y U-P [spoken, flat, final] Pay up. [bass alone] [single guitar note] [silence] [End]
