Wax tin open on a wooden stool
Rag moves slow in amber pool
Thread pulled tight through welt and grain
Knot tied off to hold the strain
Headlights sweep the cracked asphalt
Radio plays something soft
He don't ask for much or more
Just the rhythm of the floor
Sole and neon side by side
Where the worn and bright collide
Buffing shadows off the hide
Quiet hands that know the ride
Sole and neon side by side
Awl rests sharp in leather palm
Scent of oil and midnight calm
Stitch by stitch the seam aligns
Patient work in borrowed time
Headlights sweep the cracked asphalt
Radio plays something soft
He don't ask for much or more
Just the rhythm of the floor
Sole and neon side by side
Where the worn and bright collide
Buffing shadows off the hide
Quiet hands that know the ride
Sole and neon side by side
Motel sign flickers blue and red
Casts its glow across the shed
Vacancy burns steady on
While the night moves slow and long
No congregation left to sing
No organ swelling through the spring
But breath still shapes the ancient phrase
In the leather's quiet praise
Sole and neon side by side
Where the worn and bright collide
Buffing shadows off the hide
Quiet hands that know the ride
Sole and neon side by side
Dawn arrives on rubber soles
Trucker boots and weary souls
He wraps the rag and locks the tin
Another day to start again
Sole and neon side by side
Where the worn and bright collide
Buffing shadows off the hide
Quiet hands that know the ride
Sole and neon side by side
Sole and neon side by side
Needle rests in sodium glow
Humming low where shadows go
