Decimal Dust

[Verse 1]
Mikey slid his Miller bottle 'cross the bar at Gene's Pub
Left a wet ring on a paystub that was already rubbed
To a ghost. He leaned in, breath smelled like the cold night air
Said the numbers on the mainframe just don't add up square.

[Chorus]
A ghost on the line, a name without a face
Just a little bit of rust gettin' put back in its place
It ain't a crime, it's just a crack in the design
A ghost on the line, yours and mine.

[Verse 2]
I traced the logo on my glass, the condensation slick
He said, "Third shift last Tuesday, I saw the program kick."
'It's decimal dust,' he whispered low, 'a rounding off of time
For every thousand tons of steel, they're not missin' a dime.'

[Chorus]
A ghost on the line, a name without a face
Just a little bit of rust gettin' put back in its place
It ain't a crime, it's just a crack in the design
A ghost on the line, yours and mine.

[Bridge]
And in the hum of the neon, I saw a new machine
A perfect, quiet engine, running silent, running clean
Just two old gears engaging, one turns, the other pulls
To make the pressure equal.

[Outro]
Mikey raised his bottle, said "To the company man."
We drank to him.