I sit on a desk of grey stone
In a room where the winter is blown
I wait for the hand and the wrist
In a frozen and colorless mist
Thud goes the heavy black ink
Fast as a heartbeat or blink
One hard hit on the white page
Opening up a locked cage
I feel the cold breath of the crowd
The wind in the alley is loud
I hold all the names in my grip
While the frozen white snowflakes slip
Thud goes the heavy black ink
Fast as a heartbeat or blink
One hard hit on the white page
Opening up a locked cage
The concrete is hard on the feet
Where the line and the iron gate meet
I taste all the salt in the air
And the look of a desperate stare
Thud goes the heavy black ink
Fast as a heartbeat or blink
One hard hit on the white page
Opening up a locked cage
The officer's palm is a rock
Ticking away like a clock
I mark every pass with a blow
Watching the tired line go
Steel rails hum a low humming song
The road to the border is long
No one says a word in the queue
Just a sky of a shivering blue
My rubber is worn and it is thin
Letting the shivering people in
A stamp is a key and a door
Giving them hope for some more
Thud goes the heavy black ink
Fast as a heartbeat or blink
One hard hit on the white page
Opening up a locked cage
Just one thud on the line
And you're doing just fine
The ink is dry now.
