Track Insight / Lyrics
Flipped the last burger at quarter to three
Marlene's rye toast waits for me
Alley wind bites through the back door crack
Found a gold watch on the frozen black
Brass cover etched with a rose and thorn
Hands stuck at midnight, broken, worn
Cobblestones cradle it, ice-glazed deep
Ticking soft while the city sleeps
Time don't freeze for the likes of us
It ticks in the gutter, it ticks in the dust
Cobblestone watch keeps the winter beat
Steady heart in the frozen street
Engraved initials, J.
H., faded thin
Maybe a lover, maybe a kin
Did he run for a train that never came?
Or drop it fleeing a burning flame?
Time don't freeze for the likes of us
It ticks in the gutter, it ticks in the dust
Cobblestone watch keeps the winter beat
Steady heart in the frozen street
Snow piles high on the dumpster lid
Regulars laugh at the jokes I did
But I hold this weight in my grease-stained palm
A stranger's lifetime, ticking calm
I've wiped these counters twenty years running
Seen seasons turn, seen regulars coming
My knees pop loud as the grill timer dings
Watch ticks quiet while the fryer sings
Slip it deep in my apron fold
Warm against the metal cold
Let it ride through the breakfast rush
Time keeps moving, time don't hush
Time don't freeze for the likes of us
It ticks in the gutter, it ticks in the dust
Cobblestone watch keeps the winter beat
Steady heart in the frozen street
Louder now, let the gang vocals rise
Time don't freeze, no matter the skies
Tick follows tock in my pocket deep
Promises kept while the world's asleep
