[Interviewer:]
So, before it all happened… you felt you had to be perfect?

[Ian Blackman:]
Perfect? Yeah. That was the deal. You had to be flawless just to be… tolerated. One little slip, and you prove them right.

[Verse 1]
Had to be flawless just to be accepted,
One tiny error, their whole theory perfected.
My white coworker could cruise and still feel fine,
But I had to break my body just to hold my own line.
Pushed myself harder, no room to be human,
No space for complaining, just keep on consuming
The pressure and silence, believing the dream,
Loved the work I was doing, the whole damn team.

[Chorus]
Am I just a ghost in the machine?
Writing code but I’m never truly seen.
Living life like a phantom on the screen,
Just a ghost in their perfect, cold machine.

[Verse 2]
Private work channel, some dark right-wing news,
I made gallows humour, lit a very short fuse.
Shared a picture of a Nazi with his hand in the sky,
Called it a Reform salute, a quick, bitter reply.
Woke up next morning, my private joke made global,
On some culture war station, completely ignoble.
Some talking head on the TV screaming I should be fired,
For mocking a fascist… the irony felt so tired.

[Bridge]

[Ian Blackman:]
They came for me. Racist DMs, slurs… people said it was what you get with a “diversity hire.” I just kept checking my work email… waiting for someone… anyone… to have my back. But there was just… silence.

[Chorus]
Am I just a ghost in the machine?
Writing code but I’m never truly seen.
Living life like a phantom on the screen,
Just a ghost in their perfect, cold machine.

The Interview (Part One)

Hey,

I make 𝕨𝕦𝕓𝕤

"Sounds nice." - Mom

"Your music can be played in the Boiler Room." - Very Supportive Friend

"I'm confused" - Nartuto Catz 

"dumbest song i ever heard..." - Some Idiot

"I’m high rn and this is tripping me out" - Oregano 

Thanks for stopping by.
-TayTay

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Ezzy Elliott(ezzy.elliott@gmail.com) UK PSB (Public Service Broadcaster) TV and 
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uVpNnaw3A0ars8GwlkoHl?si=HtnOH8eUS_iKpfTq0IXtyQ  | http://codingForJustice.org.uk. Passionate about justice, coding, autism, MUSIC & London N9. The views expressed in my songs are my own.

Joe Webster is an electronic musician, composer and producer with eclectic sensibilities. He creates music that blends genres, styles and influences, from ambient and cinematic to jazz and EDM.