[Intro]
[Three muted metal taps; low slide guitar enters.]

[Male Vocal]
[Verse 1]
I fed a dollar through the slot;
Green light blinked, the motor stopped.
I hit the dent the drummer made,
The old trick never paid.
Joe's red sign said, "Dead since 2009."
Still I stood there wasting time.

[Refrain]
Coins in the dead machine,
Paying for what won't appear.
One more try, one wasted year;
Nothing drops and nothing clears.
I kept believing gears would turn
If I fed them what I earned.

[Verse 2]
"Great songs, wrong year." "Strong voice, wrong face."
"We'll circle back." "We lost your tape."
I wore each no like a crown,
Made every friend who settled down
Look like a traitor to the cause,
So I would not face the cost.

[Refrain]
Coins in the dead machine,
Paying for what won't appear.
One more try, one wasted year;
Nothing drops and nothing clears.
I kept believing gears would turn
If I fed them what I earned.

[Instrumental Break]
[Restrained slide-guitar solo over the three-hit pulse.]

[Bridge]
The contract said they owned the name,
The filmed event, the rent, the frame.
My signature looked small and mean
Beside that dead vending machine.

[Breakdown]
I folded once. I folded twice.
Gold paper made a paper knife.
I held it near the trash, then stopped—
Still waiting for the bottle drop.

[Final Refrain]
No more coins in the dead machine,
No more paying to disappear.
The gears stay still; I see it plain:
I chose the slot, not what was here.
No more coins in the dead machine;
I know who I have to find.

[Outro]
The dollar stayed behind the glass.
Down the alley, a red case passed.
