Track Insight / Lyrics
One ring a year, the old phone knows my name
A quarter in the slot, a signal through the snow
The streetlights bend like rivers, the crosswalk counts the time
And I hear your footsteps echo down the road
You left a payphone by the old depot gate
A taxi idled where the morning used to wait
The meter rolled your number, cold and clear
I kept your last fare folded by the rear
[Pre-
The city changed its face, but I know this place
One copper voice is calling through the space
No one else would answer, no one else would care
So I let the ringing pull me from the chair
Once a year, the payphone rings for me
Once a year, I answer, old and free
Once a year, I say, I'm still downtown here
Just keep the light on, I'll be near, my dear
The diner changed to windows, chrome and glass
The corner market vanished in the rain and grass
But every late November, when the dusk turns blue
I drive past that old booth and wait for you
[Pre-
A red light catches silver on the dash
A worn receipt trembles when the radio clashes
The wheels remember every turn and lane
The route you used to take still calls my name
Once a year, the payphone rings for me
Once a year, I answer, old and free
Once a year, I say, I'm still downtown here
Just keep the light on, I'll be near, my dear
I picked you up at midnight, baggage in your hand
You said the next town had a band and one grand plan
The fare was twelve dollars, but I threw the meter out
Because some rides are worth more than the route
[Pre-
Now winter's wearing grooves across the avenue
The same old wheel shudders, shaking loose the view
I carry ghosts politely from rank to rank
They fold their hands and listen when the engine cranks
There's a bus stop where the elm once stood in line
A child's chalk-drawn map still says your street is mine
The phone booth's painted blue beneath the fading sign
And every coin I spend leaves fingerprints behind
And if the road is vanished, if the depot is gone
I'll keep one open window when the evening comes
The phone can hum its mystery across the dark
One mile, one ring, one spark, one tiny mark
Once a year, the payphone rings for me
Once a year, I answer, old and free
Once a year, I say, I'm still downtown here
Just keep the light on, I'll be near, my dear
Once a year, the payphone rings for me
Once a year, I'm driving through the rain
Once a year, I hear you whisper, clear and near
The city lost its places, but I kept you here
The phone goes quiet, but the fare is in my hand
I pull back from the curb and take the open land
One light through the windshield, one spark in the dark
A little lost forever, a little close to heart
