Forty years on the city beat
Tired soles on the salted street
I know the way the weather turns
Where the midnight oil slowly burns
Pulled a fare to the edge of town
Where the golden hills settle down
A gravel road and a rusty gate
Where the weary travelers wait
Buzzing red in the purple haze
Lighting up all the lonely ways
Standing guard by the driveway stone
The only light that I have known
Found a seat in a vinyl booth
Drinking coffee and chasing truth
The sugar shaker is chipped and old
While the evening air turns bitter cold
Buzzing red in the purple haze
Lighting up all the lonely ways
Standing guard by the driveway stone
The only light that I have known
Old men talk of the better days
Lost in a thick and heavy glaze
We share a nod and a quiet stare
Fresh winter scent in the open air
The humming glass is a steady friend
Leading a soul to the journey's end
It doesn't ask for a heavy fee
It just keeps the lonely company
I put the car in a steady gear
Leaving the ghosts in the rearview mirror
The humming glow fades into the gray
As I drive toward the break of day
Buzzing red in the purple haze
Lighting up all the lonely ways
Standing guard by the driveway stone
The only light that I have known
Keep it humming, keep it bright
Safe travels through the velvet night
Just a glow on the gravel ground
The sweetest light I ever found
