Midnight shift the grill stays hot
Coffee black in a chipped porcelain pot
Fog rolls thick past the diner door
I wipe the counter down once more
I keep the light on the line for the lost
Steaming kettle cuts the heavy frost
Sweep the beam across the bacon and eggs
Guide the hungry to steady legs
Trucker Joe takes his usual seat
Nurses swap shifts on tired feet
Bell dings sharp like a foghorn blast
Order up, get it moving fast
I keep the light on the line for the lost
Steaming kettle cuts the heavy frost
Sweep the beam across the bacon and eggs
Guide the hungry to steady legs
Grease trap glows like a sector light
Scrubbing carbon through the dead of night
Log book stained with the gravy gloss
Safe harbor from the exhaust loss
I keep the light on the line for the lost
Steaming kettle cuts the heavy frost
Sweep the beam across the bacon and eggs
Guide the hungry to steady legs
Dawn breaks pale on the stainless steel
Turn the gas off, close the deal
Lens wiped clean for the coming day
Sleep comes heavy, shift's away
I keep the light on the line for the lost
Steaming kettle cuts the heavy frost
Sweep the beam across the bacon and eggs
Guide the hungry to steady legs
Light on the line
Light on the line
Kettle steams soft and low
