No Script

RED TAPE RIPTIDE

[Intro]

Yeah…
Fill it out.
Wait your turn.
Try again.

[Verse 1]

I watched a good shop shutter on a quiet main street,
Sign still hangin’ crooked, lease taped to the window cheap.
They said, “Just comply,” like that pays the heat,
While the bills keep comin’ weekly and the margins bleed.

Forms stack higher than the snowbanks in March,
Every box checked twice but it still falls apart.
Permit pending, fee added, timeline pushed back,
They don’t see the hands that built it — just the code on the map.

Phone line loops, press one, press three,
Hold music hummin’ while they drain what’s left of me.
Different rule in every province, city, zone,
Same answer every time — “That’s out of our control.”

[Pre-Chorus]

I’m not askin’ for a bailout
Not beggin’ for a break
Just don’t drown me in the process
While you tell me it’s “for safety’s sake”

[Chorus]

Caught in a red tape riptide, pullin’ me under
Hands tied tight while the clocks run faster
Built this life with my own damn spine
Now I’m buried in rules I never signed

Red tape riptide — smile, comply
Sink polite while the paperwork piles
I’m still breathin’, still fightin’ the tide
But it’s draggin’ me down — red tape riptide

[Verse 2]

Tryin’ to raise kids where the rent eats the cheque,
Groceries jump price while they promise “next step.”
Fuel climbs again, so does every excuse,
They tax the drive to work then blame “global issues.”

Small town trades get buried in audits,
While the big boys skate clean through loopholes they profit.
They say “trust the process,” say “it’s all aligned,”
Funny how the rules bend different for the well-connected kind.

Workin’ overtime just to stay where you were,
Middle class ghosted — still expected to serve.
Every policy written like we’re numbers on a sheet,
But you can’t spreadsheet stress when you’re losin’ sleep.

[Pre-Chorus]

I’m not lookin’ for a handout
I’m not lookin’ to escape
Just let me stand on what I built
Without drownin’ in the wait

[Chorus]

Caught in a red tape riptide, pullin’ me under
Hands tied tight while the clocks run faster
Built this life with my own damn spine
Now I’m buried in rules I never signed

Red tape riptide — smile, comply
Sink polite while the paperwork piles
I’m still breathin’, still fightin’ the tide
But it’s draggin’ me down — red tape riptide

[Bridge]

Cold... Cold... Cold... Cold...
Cold... Cold... Cold...

They don’t see the hours
They don’t see the cost
They don’t see the fallout
When the line gets crossed

It’s always “temporary,” always “just one more step,”
Funny how survival keeps missin’ the deadline check.
You can’t regulate grit
You can’t legislate pride
But you can sure as hell drown it
One rule at a time

[Final Chorus]

Caught in a red tape riptide, draggin’ me down
Still standin’ my ground, won’t quietly drown
I won’t beg permission just to live my life
I’ll fight the pull even stripped to the bone tonight

Red tape riptide — no script, no lie
No filter left when you’re fightin’ to survive
I’m still here, still cuttin’ the line
Even if it takes me — red tape riptide

[Outro]

Cold... Cold... Cold...
Red tape riptide.

Cold... Cold... Cold...
Red tape riptide.

I didn’t ask for special treatment.
I asked for room to breathe.