Lyrics

Let Me Clock Back In ©2026 Mitch Cooper

The day starts yelling before I even stand

A calendar avalanche in the palm of my hand

I blink and the morning is already behind

Like someone hit fast-forward on my mind

(Let me clock back in)

Inbox: "urgent"

Phone: "now"

Boss: "circle back"

Me: "wow"

I'm juggling deadlines like they're glass in the rain

Smiling in meetings while my shoulders complain

I type out my life in a neat little row

Then wonder why my heartbeat feels so slow

(Clarinet dances, band slams, piano motif returns in fragments)

I owe three calls, two fixes, five "quick" replies

A report that "should be easy" and a stack of little lies

I keep a to-do list like a leash on my soul

If it's not crossed off, then it's taking control

(Let me clock back in)

Footsteps on tile, every minute a dare

I'm late to the thing - WAIT! I'm already there

A door swings open--more light, more noise

More grown-up games, more grown-up toys

(Guitar climbs, bass weaves around it, piano "bell" motif hides inside the chords)

Where's the hour that belongs to me?

Where's the quiet I was promised?

I keep paying in my energy

But the receipt just comes up empty

I can't remember the last time I sat

With nothing to solve and nowhere to be at

No screens, no plans, no proving I'm tough

Just me being me... like that could ever be enough - ha

(Clarinet sighs, sax rises, drums open up, band surges)

The clock keeps preaching, the numbers keeping score

I'm "doing great" while I'm scraping the floor

I'm strong on paper, but I'm stuck in a chair

I'm losing the parts of me that I don't share

So if you see me running with a smile that looks too tight

That's just me trying to borrow a night

To close the laptop, to shut off the phone

To live my own thoughts and just get home

Let the bell ring out

Let the room go still

Let me clock back in

To my own free will