Paper Cut Economy

[Verse 1]
They call it a safety net
But it feels like a net of lead
Every form I sign at dawn
Takes the bread from what I need

You tax the first small win
Then you tax the second one
By the time I count what’s left
The deal is dead before it’s done

[Pre-Chorus]
So I play it close
I keep it small
Why risk a leap
When they take it all?

[Chorus]
Paper cut economy
Paper cut economy
You bleed me slow
Then ask why I freeze

Paper cut economy
Paper cut economy
Less to build with
Less to believe

[Verse 2]
My friend had a plan for steel
A plant, a crew, a field of lights
But every permit cost a month
And every month cost appetite

The banker wants a safer bet
The owner wants a cleaner line
So money slips to where it rests
Not where the workers spend their time

[Pre-Chorus]
So I play it close
I keep it small
Why risk a leap
When they take it all?

[Chorus]
Paper cut economy
Paper cut economy
You bleed me slow
Then ask why I freeze

Paper cut economy
Paper cut economy
Less to build with
Less to believe

[Bridge]
And the rich can bend
What the rest must wear
Hire the hands
And smooth the air

But the little shop
Just learns to fold
Dreams get shelved
And plans get sold

[Chorus]
Paper cut economy
Paper cut economy
You bleed me slow
Then ask why I freeze

Paper cut economy
Paper cut economy
Less to build with
Less to believe

[Outro]
Less to build with
Less to believe
Paper cut economy
It cuts the seed