[Intro — spoken, conspiratorial whisper, lads mode] Oh hang on lads Quiet He's checking his phone ...yeah She's texted He's gotta go [Verse 1 — rap, swagger, taking the mick] There he is, the man himself, glad you could make it Forty minute window before you have to vacate it Did you file the paperwork, get the forms signed off Did she approve the jacket and the socks and the route Kitchen clearance granted, two pints maximum Back by nine or face the full tribunal We've not seen your face in what — three weeks? Four? Last time you were out she rang eleven times before the main course [Pre-Chorus — mock serious] We understand We do It must be very complicated Being a fully grown man Who needs permission To exist Outside the house On a Thursday [Chorus — huge, anthemic, comedy on top] ARE YOU UNDER THE THUMB MATE KITCHEN CLEARANCE TO BE OUT DID SHE SIGN OFF ON THE EVENING IS THERE ANY ROUTE BACK TO BEING A PERSON WHO JUST LEAVES THROUGH A DOOR WITHOUT A FULL DEBRIEF AND A WRITTEN REPORT PERMISSION GRANTED THERE HE GOES PERMISSION GRANTED BACK BY NINE PERMISSION GRANTED LADS HE'S GOTTA GO HOME [Verse 2 — still comedy but something shifts, cracks appearing] Quick check of the posture yep there it is The flinch when the phone goes that we've all witnessed Not the lean of a man who forgot he had somewhere to be That's the lean of a man who's genuinely scared of the screen And we laughed about the food thing We shouldn't have laughed about the food thing And we laughed about the money thing That one's not funny either is it He ordered tap water Again Said he wasn't hungry Again Same jacket three years running and he Changed the subject [Pre-Chorus — quieter, the smirk fading] We've held a meeting In his absence Which is most of the time And we've concluded That the jokes Aren't really jokes Are they They haven't been For a while [Chorus — same words, less funny now] ARE YOU UNDER THE THUMB MATE KITCHEN CLEARANCE TO BE OUT DID SHE SIGN OFF ON THE EVENING IS THERE ANY ROUTE BACK TO BEING A PERSON WHO JUST LEAVES THROUGH A DOOR WITHOUT A FULL DEBRIEF AND A WRITTEN REPORT PERMISSION GRANTED THERE HE GOES PERMISSION GRANTED BACK BY NINE PERMISSION GRANTED LADS HE'S GOTTA GO HOME [Bridge — spoken, comedy completely gone, just honest] We call it under the thumb Because we don't have the words for what it actually is Because saying it out loud Makes it real And if it's real We have to do something about it And we don't know what to do about it So we laugh And we watch him check his phone And we watch him flinch And we watch him order tap water And say he's not hungry And wear the same jacket And we laugh Because the alternative Is admitting That our mate Is not okay And hasn't been For a long time And none of us Said anything [Breakdown — heavy, no comedy, just weight] SAY SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING WE SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING NOT UNDER THE THUMB NOT KITCHEN CLEARANCE JUST — MATE ARE YOU ALRIGHT ARE YOU ACTUALLY ALRIGHT BECAUSE WE'RE ASKING NOW WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED SOONER WE'RE ASKING NOW [Outro — single guitar, spoken, quiet, to him directly for the first time] You don't have to go home You know that right You don't have to go We'll figure it out We'll help you figure it out Just Don't go ...he went
