[Intro]
(Acoustic guitar riff with slide guitar accents, steady drum b**t)
[Verse 1]
Clock ticks past midnight, fluorescent lights hum low
Another endless evening, movin' kinda slow
Got boxes stacked like mountains, gotta make 'em fly
From point A to point B, beneath this sleepy sky
Remember back in grade school, Coach would yell and call
"Learn to dodge that rubber ball!" Well, guess what, y'all?
That useless skill they drilled in, back when I was ten
Is the only thing keepin' me from gettin' hit again!
[Chorus]
Oh, it's Night Shift Dodgeball, dodgin' boxes flyin' by
Duckin' rolls flyin' fast, beneath the warehouse sky
Yeah, it's Night Shift Dodgeball, ain't no game, it's for real
Dodgin' disaster every night, just tryin' to make a deal
With gettin' outta here alive, yeah, that's the way I feel!
[Verse 2]
Shoulda joined the circus, learned to juggle rings
'Cause right now, I'm juggling about fifteen different things
A box, cart and a scanner, a coffee cup near d**d
While tryin' not to trip on wires runnin' 'cross my head
Mama always told me, "Child, watch where you put your feet!"
Lord knows down here, that wisdom just can't be b**t
One wrong step in the shadows, it's a tumble waitin' to fall
Another hazard in this crazy, never-endin' ball!
[Chorus]
Oh, it's Night Shift Dodgeball, dodgin' forklifts rollin' by
Duckin' boxes flyin' by, dunkin rolls flying fast, beneath the warehouse sky
Yeah, it's Night Shift Dodgeball, ain't no game, it's for real
Dodgin' disaster every night, just tryin' to make a deal
With gettin' outta here alive, yeah, that's the way I feel!
[Bridge]
(Lead guitar solo - bluesy, slightly gritty, over driving rhythm section)
Shakin' my head at the chaos, pure disastor unfoldin'
Same ol' question for the tenth time, the story's gettin' old, hon
"Why'd the belt stop?" they holler, "What's a single file line mean?"
Seems like common sense left here, back in '93!
Nobody knows nothin', just wanderin' 'round blind
Leavin' me to pick up pieces, messes left behind...
[Verse 3]
So I keep on throwin' boxes, aimin' true and fast
Tryin' to make this shipment somethin' that will last
The journey to the truck bed, dodgin' all the while
That phantom dodgeball lesson, brings a weary smile
Might not be what I studied, might not be my plan
But dodgin' and weavin' makes me the night shift man...
Or woman, holdin' steady, 'neath these buzzin' lights
Just tryin' to make it safely through these crazy nights.
[Chorus]
Oh, it's Night Shift Dodgeball, dodgin' forklifts rollin' by
Duckin' pallets swingin' low, beneath the warehouse sky
Yeah, it's Night Shift Dodgeball, ain't no game, it's for real
Dodgin' disaster every night, just tryin' to make a deal
With gettin' outta here alive, yeah, that's the way I feel!
[Outro]
(Song fades out with repeating chorus guitar riff, drums become simpler, bass holds the root note. Sound of a distant, weary sigh or a final cymbal swell fading into silence)
