[Intro]
Nina tapes three labels to the shift board,
and the first run moves out.

[Chorus]
Red, amber, green,
three states on the board.
Red means unverified,
amber is provisional.
Green is checked and cleared.
Someone has to move it on.

[Verse 1]
First item lands under green before ten,
source checked twice, date matched too.
Ben points once, the desk nods back,
no side thread needed this time.
Nina hears the chairs settle,
less guesswork crossing the floor.

[Verse 2]
Before publication, editors check.
Ben taps the strip. Reads twice.
Margin marked. Status checked.
Red holds the unverified line.
Amber waits on one more check.
Green clears the copy to publish.
Not faster. Not yet.
Fewer questions crowd the shift.

[Chorus]
Red, amber, green, (red, amber, green)
three confirmation states on the screen.
Red means unverified, (red means)
amber is provisional.
Green is checked and cleared.
Someone has to move it on.

[Break]

[Verse 3]
Then one amber item stays amber,
past lunch, past deadline, past five.
Nina reads the notes beneath it,
all checks marked, no next step.
The owner field sits empty,
a neat box doing no work.
Everyone can see the snag now,
everyone sees what held it there.

[Chorus]
Red, amber, green, (red, amber, green)
three confirmation states on the screen.
Red means unverified, (red means)
amber is provisional.
Green is checked and cleared.
But amber needs a name.
Who moves it on?

[Outro]
Nina leaves the board standing,
one amber item still there.
Nobody moves it on.
The owner field stays bare.

[End]