Who Owns Your Hours

Lyrics

[Intro] Badge on the table, clock says go Another long shift in the status quo [Verse 1] Ascend on the screen with a grin in the font Says we’re all one team, then it cuts what we want Break room clock got a crack through the face Eight hours disappear in a queue we can’t chase Metrics in red like a warning light blink They count every minute, don’t ask what we think Manager says “flex,” means stay till it’s done We carry the load while the numbers look fun [Chorus] Who owns your hours? Who sets your worth? We keep this whole machine turning on earth They call it progress, we call it a squeeze Hands up, workers—give us room to breathe [Verse 2] New policy drops with a cheerful little chime “Efficiency gains” mean less pay and more time A dashboard decides if your day was enough While the folks at the top never touch the hard stuff They sell us a ladder with rungs made of air Then blame the whole crew when there’s nobody there No secret cabal, just a system gone cold A suit-made maze with a quota to hold [Chorus] Who owns your hours? Who sets your worth? We keep this whole machine turning on earth They call it progress, we call it a squeeze Hands up, workers—give us room to breathe [Bridge] Pass the word down the line, don’t stand alone A thousand small voices can shake that throne Write down the hours, make the numbers plain We deserve a life that is more than a name [Verse 3] When the shift lets out, we still feel the grind But the crew starts talking, starts changing its mind No villain’s passport, no bomb in the plan Just greed in a spreadsheet and a boss with a scan So we claim our breaks and we question the chart Put people before every dashboard and mark If the gears need our hands, then the deal must be fair We’re more than a line item—remember we’re there [Final Chorus] Who owns your hours? Who sets your worth? We keep this whole machine turning on earth They call it progress, we call it a squeeze Hands up, workers—give us room to breathe Give us room to breathe Give us room to breathe [Outro] Clock out, link up, let the whole crew speak A better deal starts when the workers don’t sleep