Those Debit Card Blues

Black card resting in my hand Worn thin from the working man Gas pump glow and grocery line Every little want of mine Got that message on my screen. “Suspicious charge… you're out of green.” Somebody somewhere wore my name Spent my sweat without the shame Bank man said in a voice so calm “Son, that card is done. It’s gone.” Sixteen digits laid to rest Cut down cold like all the rest Thunder rolling through the wire— My numbers feeding someone’s fire. New card coming. Three-day wait. Bills still knocking at the gate. They took my name in the dead of night Ran my numbers through the wires Every dollar I ever made Walked barefoot through the fire Sixteen digits in the dark Scattered like a deck of cards Who’s gonna pay these debts I owe Now that the thief has got my card? Autopay tied everywhere— Now every tie’s a snare. Two-step codes at half past three— Prove again that I am me. Sixteen numbers, month and year, Three more digits I hold dear. Every login asking why Like I’m the thief I must deny. Every merchant. Every store. “Update payment method” once more. Type it in. Begin again. Lord, I’m tired of signin’ in. They took my name in the dead of night Ran my numbers through the wires Every dollar I ever made Walked barefoot through the fire Sixteen digits that they took Didn't make them a better man Fought those charges by the book They went away, they didn't stand Thunder speaks in rolling codes Thieves usein' fiber optic roads But I ain’t breakin’, I ain’t bowed I’ll carve my name out of that cloud They took my name in the dead of night Never thought I'd stand and fight Thought they’d leave me broken and scarred But I fought for victory, got a brand-new card Sixteen digits rise again Stamped in plastic hard You can steal my number once— But you'll never get this card. Tap. Approved. Green light glows. Balance steady. Mercy flows. I ain’t hacked. I ain’t scarred. Long live this brand-new card.