# ONLY A DRILL [Intro – Live acoustic metal drums, deep rounded kick drum, low distorted guitar riff, distant alarm bell] [Alarm abruptly stops] [Verse 1 – MALE RAPPER ONLY: Pure rhythmic spoken rap from the first syllable, dry low baritone, sharp precise articulation, absolutely no melodic singing] Friday at noon, someone's testing the bells Thirty of us head outside, complaining about the smell Dave brings half his sandwich, still chewing in line I'm already by the gate before they tell us where to stand The manager takes attendance with a clipboard and a pen Calls my name, I answer, then she calls it once again Everybody's laughing at the guy who lost his shoe I'm checking whether every exit opened like it's supposed to I knew about the practice, read the notice on the wall But somehow knowing something doesn't help me much at all She says, "The drill is over. You can all go back inside." I nod and say "Of course," with both my hands still clenched up tight [Refrain 1 – FEMALE VOCALIST ONLY: Clear intimate melodic singing, unusual descending melody, bass and natural acoustic drums, guitars drop out] It's only a drill It's only a bell [One beat of silence] Everybody's standing still I'm halfway down the stairwell [Instrumental – Heavy down-tuned guitar groove, deep acoustic kick, powerful live snare] [Verse 2 – MALE RAPPER ONLY: Faster crisp rhythmic rap, dry baritone, tight internal rhythm, strictly no singing] Sunday at my brother's, birthday candles on a cake The youngest blows them out before we've sung the birthday song My brother hands me paper plates and tells me just to sit I say, "Somebody ought to watch the kids." He says, "I got it." He pulls another chair out with his foot against the floor I start to say I'm busy, but I've got no reason anymore So I sit there with the others while the football's on TV And wonder why it's difficult to let them look after me My niece comes running over with a magic trick to show There's a playing card behind her ear; she thinks I shouldn't know I let her have the moment, and she grins from ear to ear For ten whole minutes nothing happens that I need to interfere with [Refrain 2 – FEMALE VOCALIST ONLY: Slightly higher melody, restrained, syncopated phrasing, live drums and clean guitar] It's only a drill I know that by now [Two-beat instrumental pause] Then why do I hear the siren When nobody makes a sound? [Instrumental – Grinding guitar riff, syncopated bass and heavy live drums, NO electronic kick] [Bridge – Instruments strip down to a deep bass guitar and the SAME acoustic drum kit] [MALE RAPPER ONLY – Slow, deliberate spoken rhythm] Being ready used to help me I don't think that part was wrong But somewhere along the way I left the warning system on I keep checking every doorway Even when I'm coming home And I can't remember when I started Treating quiet like a warning of its own [Gradual heavy guitar build, powerful acoustic tom fills] [MALE RAPPER – Fast intense rhythmic delivery] Nobody's asking for a hero Nobody's calling out my name The room is full of people Who can handle their own day I don't have to fix the weather Don't have to plan for every fall Maybe sometimes being useful Means doing nothing at all! [Instrumental Breakdown – Massive half-time down-tuned guitars, deep consistent acoustic metal kick, live snare and toms, powerful bass guitar] [FEMALE VOCALIST – Starts softly, climbs to a powerful emotional sustained note] The bell can ring... And I can let it ring... [Final Refrain – FEMALE VOCALIST ONLY: New soaring melodic variation, warm powerful rock singing, full band but no screaming] It's only a drill It's only a bell [Instruments suddenly stop except bass] And for once I don't go running When there's nothing wrong at all [Full band returns – Huge sustained guitar chord, natural drums] [FEMALE – Soft intimate melodic ending] Let it ring... Let it end... [Outro – Original heavy guitar riff becomes clean and quiet, natural kick drum slows, no synthetic percussion] [MALE – Quiet spoken voice] "Everything alright?" [FEMALE – Soft natural spoken voice] "Yeah." [MALE – Small relieved laugh] "Good." [End – Single natural snare hit, silence]
