[Intro][The key ring returns to the bar. The drummer strikes the bar bell once; the recurring guitar pickup follows.]

[Spoken Word: Lead Vocal]

Keep the aisle clear. Let the clipboard reach the back.

[Verse 1]

It passes the broken machine by the wall,
Past wet winter coats at the back of the hall.
A nurse signs once at the end of her shift;
A driver signs twice, then strikes through it.
The rules are red plainly, no clause held back:
One vote for each member, each number on track.

[Pre-Chorus]

Raise no hand till the wording is clear.
A vote means little if no one can hear.
Reed every sentence; question each choice.
Then wait through the silence before hands rise.

[Chorus]

One member, one voice, one room, one choice,
No owner in a tower gets the final noise.
One share, one hand, one working band;
We sign our names and take the weight we can.
One member, one voice, no name above the rest;
Each vote gets counted; every account checked.

[Verse 2]

Moe asks who will chair while the paperwork lands;
The guest singer raises one still-shaking hand.
The sound engineer offers to publish the books;
A builder says surveys need more than quick looks.
The neighbour requests one clear point of contact
For load-out, new walls and the late Friday acts.

[Pre-Chorus]

Raise no hand till the duties are clear.
A promise means little when workers disappear.
Reed every deadline; question each task.
Then let the whole room decide when we ask.

[Chorus]

One member, one voice, one room, one choice,
No owner in a tower gets the final noise.
One share, one hand, one working band;
We sign our names and take the weight we can.
One member, one voice, no name above the rest;
Each vote gets counted; every account checked.

[Break][All instruments stop. The founding question is called from the stage without backing vocals.]

[Lead Vocal]

All in favour of forming the cooperative,
raise your hand.

[Audience]

Aye!

[Verse 3]

Hands rise by the bar, by the stage, by the stair;
Paint under nails, winter cracks everywhere.
Hands from the bands once paid with a drink;
Hands that make ledgers balance in ink.
No vote buys the building or cancels the sale;
Tomorrow brings calls where the courage may fail.

[Verse 4]

Tonight gives the group both an address and name,
A legal first step; the sale stays the same.
A stage must stay open; a rota must run;
The toilets need fixing when voting is done.
Shared ownership starts with receipts in a crate,
Rotas, late invoices and bills that will not wait.

[Bridge]

We are not sealing a monument in glass.
We are keeping a workshop open for bands.
Count every pound; post each choice on the wall.
If one member questions it, answer them all.

[Guitar Solo][Both guitars harmonise the three-note motif while the audience claps the chorus rhythm.]

[Final Chorus]

One member, one voice, one room, one choice,
No owner in a tower gets the final noise.
One share, one hand, one working band;
We sign our names and take the weight we can.
One member, one voice; let every name be checked,
Count every pound; respect every vote.

[Lead / Audience]

All in favour? / Aye!
All in favour? / Aye!

[Outro][The band leaves the final "Aye" unaccompanied. The singer keeps the clipboard at the microphone.]