(Verse 1)
Monday at sunrise in the control room light,
Mo leans on the console, coffee gone cold by his side.
He squints at the pressure gauges, shrugs at the red light glow,
Fingers the purge valve like he’s just learnin’ how to go.
The logbooks got his name in ink from nights he stayed awake—
He’s seen these alarm lights dance before, he just won’t take the brake.
(Pre-Chorus)
When the call comes over radio and the checklist reads the drill,
Mo’s got a grin and a half-step back, keeps on keepin’ still.
(Chorus)
"Can't wreck a car you don't drive," he says with palms in his jeans,
Keeps his hands off the wheel, watches steam and flashing screens.
We hear the alarm lights pingin', vent stacks sigh and whistle real,
"Can't wreck a car you don't drive," yeah, he keeps his hands off the wheel.
(Spoken, low: "Idk, dude — never seen it before.")
(Verse 2)
Night shift, sample lines hum, someone reads the trendline twice,
A relief man keys the door, the night smells of oil and ice.
Hydrogen hums in the pipes, the manifold breathes slow,
Mo shrugs at the red on the panel, like it’s some brand new show.
Guys on the floor patch the leak, check valve, tighten a clamp,
While Mo says, "idk dude," like he’s innocent of the lamp.
(Pre-Chorus)
When pressure climbs and the gauges swing, the crew leans close and moves,
Mo’s smile fades to a sideways stare — he’s practiced all his grooves.
(Chorus)
"Can't wreck a car you don't drive," he says with palms in his jeans,
Keeps his hands off the wheel, watches steam and flashing screens.
Alarm lights paint the control room, the vent stacks hiss and reel,
"Can't wreck a car you don't drive," yeah, he keeps his hands off the wheel.
(Spoken, half a laugh: "Idk, dude — never seen it before.")
(Bridge)
Then one night the siren cut the dark, alarm lights bled to red,
Pressure spiked on the east manifold, a near-miss slid ahead.
Purge valves screaming, flare stacks near the sky, boots slamming the floor,
Someone shoved him to the panel and said, "Mo, we can't wait no more."
He froze with a hand on the dial, lip bit and breath gone thin,
He fumbled, then a hand said, "Turn it slow, count one then spin."
They guided him through the checklist, sample readings in the flood,
He tasted fear and grease, and it left a kind of stubborn blood.
(Chorus — Variation)
"Can't wreck a car you don't drive," used to be his favorite line,
But when the siren called his name, he learned the steps in time.
You can't dodge a wheel forever, when the road comes for your life,
One night he had to drive — and kept his hands upon the wheel.
(Spoken, softer: "Idk, dude — I saw it before. I'm doin' it now.")
(Outro)
So here's to Mo in his worn-out boots, who learned to read the gauge,
Still mutters that old idle line, but knows the stage.
Can't wreck a car you don't drive? Maybe, till the call arrives,
Now he leans in at the panel, keeps his hands on the wheel and drives.
