Don't Test Me

[Spoken Word]

Fair warning.

This is the shit that possibly runs through a retail worker’s head
when patience gets mistaken for weakness,
when fairness turns into entitlement,
and someone decides to act like a fucking ass.

None of this gets said out loud.
Because we like paying rent.

But don’t confuse silence with peace.

[Intro - Instrumental]

[Verse 1]

I smiled, I joked, I kept it light
Told you straight, told you polite
Said “Friday,” said “I’ll keep it fair”
You heard your wants, not what was there
“Two whole cases,” cool, no stress
Then you leaned in, tried to flex

“Might take ‘em all,” said real proud
Like the shelf exists to bow
You didn’t want wine
You wanted reign
Empty the shelf
Leave the rest with nothing but stains

[Pre-Chorus]

I bend, yeah
But I don’t break
Every word you make me repeat
Drags patience closer to the lake

[Chorus]

Don’t test the smile
Don’t miss the sign
When the jokes run dry
You’re out of time
I go quiet
That’s your cue

If I start talking
It won’t be cute
I bite my tongue
So you get to leave
Don’t confuse restraint
With fucking peace

[Instrumental]

[Verse 2]

Friday hits—guess who’s gone
No call, no show, just carried on
Six damn cases just to be safe
For someone who vanished without a trace
Then you stroll in mid-project loud
Ask dumb shit you could work out

“Did it come in?” — yeah, it did
Eyes work fine, use ‘em, kid
“No boxes?” I said it twice
Still you push like I rolled dice
Front end stressed, cashier drained
Now I’m paged to clean your mess again

[Pre-Chorus 2]

I said no
You heard “try harder”
So I broke down stock
Just to make my job fucking harder

[Chorus (repeat)]

Don’t test the smile
Don’t miss the sign
When the jokes run dry
You’re out of time
I go quiet
That’s your cue

If I start talking
It won’t be cute
I hold it back
I keep it capped
You walk out free
Because I don’t snap

[Instrumental]

[Bridge – Half Spoken / Half Snapped]

You don’t hear the shit I don’t say
You don’t see the lines I don’t cross
You don’t feel the urge to burn it down
Just to show you what patience costs

You call me “no help”
After all that I did
That’s when the room goes dead quiet
And the humor fucking quits

[Final Chorus – Drop → Hit]

Don’t test the smile
Don’t miss the sign
When the jokes run dry
You’re out of time
I go quiet
That’s your cue

If I start talking
It won’t be cute
I hold it back
I keep it capped
You walk out free
Because I don’t snap

When I go silent
That’s the bell
That’s me choosing not to ruin my life
Over your entitled hell

I kept it civil
I kept it clean
But don’t push your luck
When I stop being seen

[Outro – Instrumental]

[Spoken Word - Cold, Controlled]

You left with your wine.
You left with your boxes.

You didn’t leave with the truth.

That the joke was mercy.

Gritty Male vocals, Alt-rock, Agressive, Foul Language, Ranter Energy, Spoken Intro, Spoken Outro