Simulation Room Blues

[Intro] (Simple acoustic guitar riff, slightly dissonant) [Verse 1] Well, I saw a horse made of needles, prancin' down the track Its eyes were empty spools, never lookin' back Passed by Tristan's railroad, rusted thin and brown Where the whispers of the past just swirls around Frank popped up from a ditch, waved with a crooked grin Said "Hi School!" real cheerful, where the lessons all begin But the lesson here is twisted, hidden 'neath the grime In a place that steals the sunshine, steals the time [Chorus] Oh, the Child Labor Simulation Room Spinnin' wheels in artificial gloom Little hands on phantom looms In the Child Labor Simulation Room Yeah, the main attraction, fills you with dread Workin' for nothin', till your spirit's d**d In the Child Labor Simulation Room [Verse 2] I thought I saw a shadow, tall and dressed in black Like Johnny Cash was walkin', never turnin' back Past the sign for "Torpedo Rolls" – a bakery, I guess? While real torpedoes sleep below, in silent deep recess I put an apple in my hand, squeezed it tight and small Tried to make the problem tiny, make it nothin' at all But an apple's still an apple, what's an apple anyway? Just a fruit, or somethin' deeper, gone astray? [Chorus] Oh, the Child Labor Simulation Room Spinnin' wheels in artificial gloom Little hands on phantom looms In the Child Labor Simulation Room Yeah, the main attraction, fills you with dread Workin' for nothin', till your spirit's d**d In the Child Labor Simulation Room [Bridge] The needle horse keeps prancin', a ghostly carousel Frank keeps yellin' "Hi School!" from his personal hell Tristan's tracks lead nowhere, just a circle, tight Underneath the flickerin', artificial light And the torpedo rolls are tastin' just like dust and ash While Johnny's ghost just watches, countin' all the cash That ain't never comin' to the hands that spin and weave In the make-believe factory, where the children grieve [Chorus] Oh, the Child Labor Simulation Room Spinnin' wheels in artificial gloom Little hands on phantom looms In the Child Labor Simulation Room Yeah, the main attraction, fills you with dread Workin' for nothin', till your spirit's d**d In the Child Labor Simulation Room [Outro] I put the apple in my hand... tried to make it disappear... But the Simulation Room... it's always crystal clear... (Simple guitar riff fades, ending on a slightly unresolved chord)