[Intro]
Paper's full. Toner's fine.
Screen reads: UNKNOWN ERROR — every time.
Of course it does.

[Verse]
The clerk sent minutes, scanned in June —
Four clean pages, out too soon.
Page three's the one that holds the fight —
Page three will not come out tonight.

It draws page three, then pulls it back,
A groan, a shudder, a jerking clack.
We pop the doors — Frank finds door C:
Old staples, and a takeaway menu from '03.

[Chorus]
The printer is holding page three hostage,
Half in the tray and half in the dark.
The printer is holding page three hostage,
Guarding records like some kind of ark.
Pull from the left, push from the right,
Speak to it nice, and offer it light.

[Verse]
Facilities says, "Reboot the thing."
I-T says, "That model's had its fling."
Procurement says approval's due
Next fiscal year — completely true.

The manual warns, "Before you start —
Do not blink." Frank frowns: "That's not the part."
The missing line, restored, just says: "Do not pull."
Good. We nearly lost our minds in full.

[Pre-Chorus]
Public records, private fight,
One stuck page, one blinking light.
"Never fight machinery," Frank says low,
"That's already got nowhere left to go."

[Chorus]
The printer is holding page three hostage,
Half in the tray and half in the dark.
The printer is holding page three hostage,
With one small corner folded like a mark.
Speak to it kindly, lift where you can —
Nobody remembers who signed this plan.

[Instrumental Break]

[Bridge]
[Maya] "Wheel seven?" [Frank] "Clockwise."
[Maya] "Nothing." [Frank] "Try reverse."
[Maya] "That's it!" [Frank] "We've beaten
Office equipment at last."

[Build-up]
The page slides free. I stop mid-laugh.
CONSULTANCY REVIEW: HOLLIS MUNICIPAL PARTNERS.
Same surname as the deputy mayor —
A messy little civic affair.
One stupid paper jam
Just changed the shape of my whole day.

[Final Chorus]
The printer was holding page three hostage,
Half in the tray and half out of sight.
The printer was holding page three hostage —
Page three gave the story teeth tonight.
Save every page, and copy it twice.
Never trust hardware with anything precise.

[Outro]
It sits now by the mug that reads
CHECK YOUR SOURCE — exactly what Frank Mercer needs.
The printer's screen flashes hopeful green,
Then floods us with pages, blank and pristine.
Frank unplugs it. Nobody objects.