The Figures Change

Original English lyrics

[Verse 1]
The file arrives
before the kettle.
Cells in blue.
Names in grey.
A password taped
under the tray.

[Hook]
Same row.
New name.
Wrong sum.
Clean page.
The figures change
without sound.

[Verse 2]
I match the hours
to the rota.
Monday slides
under Tuesday.
A chair stays warm
with no one in it.

[Verse 3]
Payroll asks
for the current version.
I make the columns fit.
The total turns green.
My thumb hovers
over save.

[Hook]
Same row.
New name.
Wrong sum.
Clean page.
The figures change
without sound.

[Break]
The printer jams
on page eleven.
We open the tray.
We feed it again.
It gives back
half a surname.

[Verse 4]
At lunch I write
the old total down
on the back of a receipt.
Oil from my chips
takes the first digit.
I fold it anyway.