Crank the Bypass by Hand

[Intro] [Bar one: high guitar harmonic, muted low chug, cut dead on beat four] [Bar two: two clipped palm-muted stabs, bass on the downbeats] [Bar three: taut straight backbeat, tight double-kick accents, riff cycles] [Bar four: clipped half-spoken vocal] [Verse 1] You call from the office: “how long can it run?” The valve wheel bucks; the white floor’s gone Steam bites my sleeves, the gauges climb I brace both boots and turn it by hand [Chorus] Hold the line, hold the line While the hot milk takes the floor Crank it back, crank it hard Make the bypass bite once more You count the ruined batches aloud I count the turns till the pressure falls Hold the line, hold the line I won’t let the whole shift stall [Verse 2] The belt keeps moving; the tanks run full A crate tips over by the loading door You name each batch through the telephone I wedge my shoulder and haul once more [Chorus] Hold the line, hold the line While the hot milk takes the floor Crank it back, crank it hard Make the bypass bite once more You count the ruined batches aloud I count the turns till the pressure falls Hold the line, hold the line I won’t let the whole shift stall [Guitar solo] [Instrumental: sharp single-note lead cries over the cycling riff] [Bridge] The wheel gives way; the gauge comes down The belt slows; the floor drains clear You say the loss. i kill the feed. The night crew’s still standing here. [Chorus] Hold the line, hold the line While the hot milk takes the floor Crank it back, crank it hard Make the bypass bite once more You count the ruined batches aloud I count the turns till the pressure falls Hold the line, hold the line We got the whole shift through it all