Assistant Manager

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Lyrics

[Intro - Synth, Sparse]
[Verse 1]
The rocket on the bedroom wall peeled off
Somewhere between the algebra and rent
The helmet made of cardboard and tinfoil
Was in the attic till the attic went
He drew the constellations on his ceiling
With glow-in-dark that faded within a year
The stars gave up before he did
But not by much — and not by long, I fear
[Chorus]
The fluorescent lights don't flicker like the stars
The intercom don't echo very far
Cleanup on aisle seven, bring the mop
The boy who built the rocket
Learned to stop
[Verse 2]
The scholarship was close but close don't fly
The interview went well but well don't hire
The résumé had gaps like missing teeth
Each one a year he meant to aim much higher
He learned the register, he learned the codes
He learned which produce turns on Tuesdays first
He wore the vest and smiled at the people
And no one ever asked him what he'd rehearsed
[Chorus]
The fluorescent lights don't flicker like the stars
The intercom don't echo very far
Cleanup on aisle seven, bring the mop
The boy who built the rocket
Learned to stop
[Bridge - Quiet, Almost Still]
The break room has a window facing east
On clear nights you can see Orion's belt
He eats his sandwich standing by the glass
And doesn't say a word about the way it felt
To be the kid who memorized the moon
Who knew the distance down to every mile
Who plotted courses no one asked to see
Who filed them in the cabinet with a smile
[Instrumental Break - Marimba, Lonely]
[Verse 3 - Bleak, No Redemption]
The district wants the endcaps rearranged
The truck comes Thursday, earlier than before
His name is on a plaque beside the clock
Assistant manager — he won't make more
The parking lot is empty after ten
He locks the door and walks across the black
The sky is wide and full of everything
He doesn't look up anymore

[Final Chorus - Slow, Devastating]
The fluorescent lights don't flicker like the stars
The intercom don't echo very far
Cleanup on aisle seven, bring the mop
The boy who built the rocket
The boy who built the rocket
The boy who built the rocket learned to stop
[Outro - Synth Only, Fading]
Orion's still above the parking lot
But parking lots don't look up much
[End]

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