The system

"These parts are rejected

based on our rigorous inspection

The specs call for labels,

which apparently are fables

The tops are all bare,

The labels clearly aren't there.

No matter how bad they're required

They will stay on the shelf mired

Bad parts won't get by us, for finding faults so minor

You can search the world over, and find no one finer

I say "But the label is not needed

please let my voice be heeded.

At the next step it's removed

as the parts seal is improved.

It's designed to be coated with goo

we did that so nothing gets through!

The label serves absolutely no function

Let's move the part on, to the very next junction

We need the parts badly

or our quarter will end sadly,

Our customers will be irate

If their product is shipped late"

The answer comes back," the drawings don't lie

Every T must be crossed or we won't let them by."

So I call the parts maker,

who was the mistaker

they shipped in new stickers,

But have their brains in their knickers.

They were short in their count, filled bin that was too small,

they only sent half of the labels instead of them all.

Although all is better than half, half is better than none,

I rolled up my sleeves and put half the stickers on.

Now every T has been crossed and the parts meet the print

we take them to stock at a wicked fast sprint.

And at the very next step, the labels are removed

They're a little wrinkled, but still can be smoothed

They are then be reused and re-attached

to the tops of the parts in the second half of the batch.

The crisis has passed, but the story's not done

They had unfinished business, and called on my phone

"You thought you were tricky, tried to slip something by us

But we hold to the law, we are not swayed by bias

We don't care about customers or schedules or worth

We must keep our jobs and protect our own turf

Common sense doesn't matter, you can put it to flame

Because if something goes wrong, at least we won't be blamed.

You geezers are funny, think you can make a decision,

We laugh in your face and sneer with derision

The choices are preordained, just follow the system

There's no room for thought, the rules, we just list them.

Come into the fold and be a true pilgrim,

The system's our master, now get with the program.

If you want to succeed, you must join our alliance

It's not wisdom we want, we  value only compliance

So now I'm laid off, I got the pink slip

I was just was too stubborn to put up with this s**t