Terms of Operation

[Intro] Stamped in steel, fine print worn thin Codes we swore to, worn by hands Defined limits, we crossed the line Called it progress, called it time [Verse 1] Built to carry weight together Not to strip the bolts for speed Every margin shaved to nothing Every warning labeled “need” We ran it hot, we ran it hollow Past the limits, past the care Now the gauges shake in silence Like they’re praying someone’s there [Pre-Chorus] Deviation from the common order Stress where justice should have been Something small was made to break So the whole could keep pretending [Chorus] These were the terms of operation One rule set for every hand We were meant for preservation Not exemption, not command Now the fail-safe’s tripped and burning Hear the sacrificial sound Something good is tearing open Just to keep us running now [Post-Chorus ] User error User error [Verse 2] Every part had native value None of this was meant as fuel But we ranked the human pieces By efficiency and use Side-loads pulling out of true Heat where rest was overdue Upholding it became a myth When “mine” outweighed “me and you” [Bridge] Out of lawful calibration Heart turned inward, running blind Fail-safe by design Break the few to save the line [Chorus] These were the terms of operation One rule set for every hand Built to guard the common order So the whole could always stand Now the system shakes and stutters Entropy in every sound Tell me who was it designed for When the weakest part goes down [Break] Mean time to failure Came right on time [Final Chorus ] Rewrite the terms of operation Restore what we agreed to obey No one standing above the circuit No one priced to make it pay Put the heart back in the system Let it turn outward again A machine can still be mended If the rules still mean something [Outro ] Operating… Outside parameters…