[Verse 1] Assembly lines echo with silence, machines standing still Welders' torches growing cold, empty boots by the windowsill Gray-haired craftsmen clock out final shifts, wisdom walking away Young recruits can't fill the void, skills take decades to replay [Chorus] When the pipeline runs dry, production flatlines No hands for the hammers, no minds for designs Six pillars crumble: workforce, disputes, key personnel flight Clearances pending, retention bleeding, insiders hiding in sight When the pipeline runs dry [Verse 2] Union banners wave defiant, picket lines at factory gates Contracts stalled while deadlines loom, every hour escalates Strike votes cast like loaded dice, work stoppages freeze the gears Defense schedules hemorrhaging time, magnifying Pentagon fears [Chorus] When the pipeline runs dry, production flatlines No hands for the hammers, no minds for designs Six pillars crumble: workforce, disputes, key personnel flight Clearances pending, retention bleeding, insiders hiding in sight When the pipeline runs dry [Verse 3] Sarah holds the encryption keys, thirty years inside her brain If she retires next Thursday, classified projects feel the strain One engineer controls the codes, legacy systems in his care Cross-training plans gather dust while knowledge vanishes in air [Bridge] Background checks take eighteen months Security badges delayed Talent pools shrinking fast While adversaries get paid [Verse 4] Revolving doors spin endlessly, exit interviews pile high New hires leave before training ends, institutional memory dies But trusted faces mask dark schemes, insider threats concealed Access badges become weapons when loyalty gets repealed [Final Chorus] When the pipeline runs dry, production flatlines No hands for the hammers, no minds for designs Six pillars crumble: workforce, disputes, key personnel flight Clearances pending, retention bleeding, insiders hiding in sight When the pipeline runs dry The pipeline runs dry [Outro] Apprentice forges cooling down Nation's backbone wearing thin Supply chains break at weakest links Where human capital begins
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