You rest on shelving wrapped in oilcloth
Chicago winter bites the brickwork north
Saxophone breath shakes the water pipes
Compass needle frozen in its gripe
Storm glass clouded on the keeper's shelf
You point to nothing but your rusted self
No northern star to correct your aim
Just saxophone and cigarette flame
Brass and blue in basement light
Spinning slow through smoky night
Silver case turns verdigris
Jazz club rhythm brings no peace
Lantern oil once fed your steady glow
Now trumpet muted plays a soft low blow
Keeper's logbook moldering in a crate
You track the groove not latitude
Storm glass clouded on the keeper's shelf
You point to nothing but your rusted self
No northern star to correct your aim
Just saxophone and cigarette flame
Brass and blue in basement light
Spinning slow through smoky night
Silver case turns verdigris
Jazz club rhythm brings no peace
Wave-worn hands once wound your brass crown daily
Now cocktail shakers ring the nightly
Foghorn memory in a bass line deep
You guard the silence while the city sleeps
Brass and blue in basement light
Spinning slow through smoky night
Silver case turns verdigris
Jazz club rhythm brings no peace
Chart table swapped for bar top stained with gin
True north dissolved in tonic tonic spin
Keeper's wool coat hangs on a coat check hook
You measure time in how the solo took
Brass and blue in basement light
Spinning slow through smoky night
Silver case turns verdigris
Jazz club rhythm brings no peace
Dawn breaks pale through transom window glass
Last set ends and shadows slowly pass
Needle trembles toward a harbor gone
You keep the dark and watch the rust grow on
Brass and blue in basement light
Spinning slow through smoky night
Silver case turns verdigris
Jazz club rhythm brings no peace
Brass and blue in basement light
Spinning slow through smoky night
Keeper's ghost adjusts the wick
Compass points to nothing now