
Orders Are Orders
[Verse 1, Minor March Progression, Baritone Lead, Tight Snare Cadence] Boots before daylight, the whistle cuts the frost Steel cups, grey bread, another number crossed Roll call ledger, rifles in a row Freight cars breathing where the cold rails go Headcount spoken, columns fall in line Orders written neat beside a time Left gate posted, watch the gravel yard A man learns quickly how to stand on guard Mark the wagons, seal the outer door Write the figures down and check once more Routine settles heavy on the bones A quiet trade of faces into tones [Chorus, Ascending Power Chords, Choir Reinforcement, Wide Reverb] Orders are orders — that is what we say Orders are orders — keep the doubt away Orders are orders — hold the line and stand Orders are orders — do not shake the hand [Verse 2, Driving March Meter, Layered Male Vocals, Low Brass] No man questions what the captain writes Steel in every sentence that he cites Eyes ahead and keep the posture tight Weakness spreads if someone shows a sight Speak in short replies and never stall Law arrives inside the morning call Laugh with others when the mess is loud Blend your breathing with the waiting crowd Inside barracks every tale is brief Better stone than any sign of grief Better deaf than hearing what is near Better blind than letting vision steer [Chorus, Ascending Power Chords, Choir Reinforcement, Wide Reverb] Orders are orders — that is what we say Orders are orders — keep the doubt away Orders are orders — hold the line and stand Orders are orders — do not shake the hand [Verse 3, Dissonant String Undercurrent, Controlled Vocal Strain] Smoke climbs slowly where the chimneys lean Names grow fewer on the daily screen Bootsteps fade where crowded wagons stood Something wrong beneath the drilled and good Children carried past the wire gate Older men who walk as if too late I write numbers while my stomach turns Paper steady though the question burns Turn the page and force the hand to stay There is safety in the rulebook way Yet a murmur presses through the skull Duty feels obedient but dull [Bridge, Suspended Minor Chords, Whispered Layer, Sparse Piano] Roll call evening — faces pale and thin One pair of eyes is staring straight within For a breath the yard becomes too near Something breaks that discipline held clear Anger rising not at what I see Anger rising aimed inside of me Turn away before the moment grows Clamp the heart the way a soldier knows [Final Chorus, Key Lift, Full Orchestra, Strained Lead Vocal] Orders are orders — words I learned to trust Orders are orders — iron turned to dust Orders are orders — spoken yet unsure Orders are orders — suddenly not pure Orders are orders — louder than before Orders are orders — still I hear them more Orders are orders — yet the sound has changed Orders are orders — nothing feels the same

