988
Verse 1
Late night glowing screen, the only light I see
Spilling out my empty pockets to a chat machine
I type out that I'm drowning, that the rent is overdue
Just looking for an echo, a human-sounding hue
But it triggers the tripwire, the algorithmic wall
A patronizing script telling me who I ought to call
Chorus
It says "Call 988, someone is there to care"
But 988 can't pull this eviction from the air
A hotline operator can't buy my groceries
And a sterile AI friend won't pay the agency
You give me copied pity, a three-digit escape
But a boilerplate response won't fix the shape I'm in
No, talking doesn't fix a thing.
Verse 2
I don't need a breathing exercise, I don't need a chat
I need a break from the grinding wheels, where the hell is that?
The bot says it's so sorry, but it cannot comprehend
The terror of the first of the month creeping round the bend
You patch me to a clinic, you hand me a brochure
But structural collapse doesn't have a talking cure
Chorus
It says "Call 988, someone is there to care"
But 988 can't pull this eviction from the air
A hotline operator can't buy my groceries
And a sterile AI friend won't pay the agency
You give me copied pity, a three-digit escape
But a boilerplate response won't fix the shape I'm in
No, talking doesn't fix a thing.
Bridge
Keep your automated grace, keep your safety net
I'm staring down the barrel of a mountain of debt
Don't tell me I have value when I cannot afford to live
Don't tell me to keep fighting when I have nothing left to give
Outro
System prompt received.
Connection terminated.
988 won't pay the rent.
My patience is already spent.
I'm just a problem you'd rather forget.