[INTRO – FIELD RECORDING / STATIC] [Room tone. Flickering fluorescent light. Distant footsteps. Cable buzz.] [tape clicks] ⸻ [Verse 1 – Scrim] Woke up late but I never slept Eyes too dry, still drowning in debt Mind run laps round the same regret Every promise I made got quietly kept Phone light blinking like it need confession Unread texts stack like a bad investment I don’t vent, I compress it Turn panic into posture, call it presence Clock on the wall keep judging my pace Tick sound louder than the words I say I rehearse being fine just in case They ask questions I don’t wanna face I learned quick how to dull the edge How to carry weight without showing stress I don’t pray, I negotiate With the part of me that won’t self-destruct today ⸻ [INSTRUMENTAL BREAK – 8–16 bars] [Sub-only pulse, detuned pad wobble, drums ghost in then dissolve] ⸻ [Verse 2 – Ruby Da Cherry] Ruby da static Ruby dramatic Ruby sporadic Ruby automatic Ruby da panic Ruby satanic Ruby da habit Snap like elastic ⸻ [INSTRUMENTAL BREAK – HARD DROP] (Full drums slam in, clipped 808 surge, no melody) (8 bars pressure → 8 bars vacuum) ⸻ [Verse 3 – Scrim] They say “take it easy,” I take it apart Every calm moment come preloaded with dark I don’t chase highs, I avoid the crash Still end up shaking when the silence lasts Money move fast but the feeling don’t Buy new problems that I can’t outgrow Every mirror just another vote On whether I’m healed or just better at code I keep score with the scars I hide Like proof I survived, not proof I’m alive If I slow down, the truth might talk So I stay in motion, never stop I call it focus, you call it fear Same engine, different gear I don’t need saving, I need delay Let me push the breakdown to another day ⸻ [INSTRUMENTAL BREAK – LOW ENERGY] (Reverse reverb wash, distant train horn, warped cassette flutter) (No drums, just decay) ⸻ [Verse 4 – Ruby Da Cherry] Ruby go clackety snapety crack Flapety mapety backety black Zoomy go gloomy kaboomy go flat Loopy go soupy I’m off the track ⸻ [FINAL INSTRUMENTAL – EXTENDED OUTRO] (Drums stagger and thin) (Bass sidechains against empty space) (Melody loops, detunes, gives up) ⸻ [END – TAPE STOP] [Room tone returns.] —cut it. —leave it. [click]

Room Tone Negotiations