Ledger of Glass - Velvet

[Intro] [The sharp, rhythmic clack of a typewriter, quickly replaced by a dramatic, descending string run.] [A heavy, overdriven bassline kicks in.] [Velvet: Low, intimate whisper] He’s typing prompts into the abyss again, Playing at genius, playing at men. [Verse 1] [Driving bass and sharp, rhythmic string stabs] [Velvet: Sultry, commanding] He wears the suit like he built the steel, But he doesn't know the friction of the spinning wheel. He’s asking the ghost to script the code, While the company is losing its entire load. He smiles at the screen, he thinks he’s a god, While the engineering department is giving a nod. They know it’s a hallucination, a beautiful blight, But he’s drunk on the power of the digital light. [Chorus] [Orchestra erupts in a sweeping, brass-heavy crescendo] [Velvet: Belting, soaring vibrato] And it’s a ledger of glass, a precarious view, He’s selling a future that doesn't belong to you! He’s dancing on thin ice, he’s courting the crash, Turning the equity into a pile of ash. It’s a magnificent grift, it’s a brilliant charade, The price of the failure that we haven't paid. Oh, keep your eyes on the mirror, keep your hand on the door, The ledger is shattering down on the floor. [Verse 2] [Drums become dense, adding heavy timpani hits] [Velvet: Biting and ironic] He’s firing the poets for a cheaper machine, A digital mimic, a hollowed-out screen. He says "efficiency," he says "next-gen," But he couldn't write the script if he held the pen. He’s burning the budget, he’s betting the farm, Completely oblivious to all the harm. He loves that the robot says "yes" with a sneer, And buries the truth that the humans hold dear. [Bridge] [The music cuts out, leaving only a lone, tension-filled glockenspiel melody.] [Velvet: Spoken, ice-cold] They don't want efficacy. They don't want to know how the machine functions. They just want the impression that work is being done. The Business Idiot is a performance artist... And the stage is catching fire. [Chorus] [Full, massive, orchestral release] [Velvet: Soaring diva vocal] It’s a ledger of glass, a precarious view, He’s selling a future that doesn't belong to you! He’s dancing on thin ice, he’s courting the crash, Turning the equity into a pile of ash. It’s a magnificent grift, it’s a brilliant charade, The price of the failure that we haven't paid. [Outro] [Strings swell into a dissonant, final chord. The bass cuts out abruptly.] [Velvet: Fading whisper, cynical] Build it yourself, darling. [Sound of a single, echoing computer beep.]