Mechanic kneels on oily stone
Nitrous tank hisses low and lone
Canal bridge groans under boot heels
Winter fog wraps around steel wheels
Footsteps on ice the engine sighs
Nitrous breath in frozen skies
Mechanic counts each passing beat
Amsterdam fog on cobblestone street
Wrench clicks tight on manifold crown
Pressure builds but won't break down
Footsteps fade past lantern glow
He marks the rhythm soft and slow
Footsteps on ice the engine sighs
Nitrous breath in frozen skies
Mechanic counts each passing beat
Amsterdam fog on cobblestone street
Salt air eats the brake lines raw
He reads the gauge like maritime law
Each step a tick on his mental chart
A pulse beneath the fog's cold mark
Lighthouse lens would sweep the night
Now he tunes for ignition light
No beam to cut the harbor haze
Just wrench and fog and counting days
Dawn cracks pale on gabled roof
Engine roars a rugged proof
Footsteps quicken morning bell
Mechanic wipes the grease off well
Footsteps on ice the engine sighs
Nitrous breath in frozen skies
Mechanic counts each passing beat
Amsterdam fog on cobblestone street
Bridge empty now the count is done
Nitrous slept the morning won
He packs his tools in canvas sack
Walks home along the water's track
Footsteps on ice the engine sighs
Nitrous breath in frozen skies
Mechanic counts each passing beat
Amsterdam fog on cobblestone street
Footsteps on ice the engine sighs
Nitrous breath in frozen skies
Fog lifts slow the canal clears
Another tune for another year