[Intro]
[isolated rhythmic heartbeat sample, slow and heavy]
[sparse, single piano notes falling between the beats]

[Verse 1]
[intimate, close-mic whisper]
Press your ear against the floorboards
Listen to the wiring hum
Counting out the space between the thump
Before the panic comes
Fingertips against the collarbone
Measuring the current underneath
A frantic little motor
Working right behind the teeth

[Verse 2]
[slightly louder, introducing a heavy sub-bass mirroring the heartbeat]
The metronome is running hot
Sweat is pooling in the crease
I swallow down the copper taste
And beg the drum to cease
But it accelerates the tempo
Knocking rhythm on the sternum wall
Pacing out the hallway
Waiting for the drop to fall

[Pre-Chorus]
[tension building, industrial static swelling, heartbeat doubling in speed]
Tighten up the jaw
Hold the oxygen
Listen to the engine
Reving up again

[Chorus]
[full cinematic explosion, heavy trip-hop beat, desperate belted vocals]
I can't slow the rhythm down!
It’s wearing out the valves and gears!
Pounding like a gavel
Ringing in the center of my ears!
It’s burning up the oil!
It’s wrapping round the bone!
A frantic little machine
That won't leave me alone!

[Outro]
[sudden drop back to breathy whisper]
[all instruments cut out, leaving only the isolated heartbeat sample]
Slowing down.
Slowing.
(Heartbeat fades out)
[Silence]