Rain slicks the brick where I stand waiting
Projector hum drowns out the distant train
Film cans sit heavy in my wet coat
Red kanji bleeds through the alley grain
Light spills from the booth onto wet stone
Frames flicker past where no eyes are shown
The city holds its breath inside the reels
We're just light in the projector's glow
Counting frames where the midnight hours go
Silver scratches on celluloid skin
Burn bright until the morning winds begin
Sake cups clink from the yakitori stall
Steam rises where the salarymen call
I thread the gate where the sprockets catch
Rain writes its script on the projection hatch
Light spills from the booth onto wet stone
Frames flicker past where no eyes are shown
The city holds its breath inside the reels
We're just light in the projector's glow
Counting frames where the midnight hours go
Silver scratches on celluloid skin
Burn bright until the morning winds begin
Pedal steel cries from a distant bar
Bent notes drift on the diesel air
Harmonica answers from a subway grate
Two lonely songs that resonate
We're just light in the projector's glow
Counting frames where the midnight hours go
Silver scratches on celluloid skin
Burn bright until the morning winds begin
Upright bass walks through the puddle maze
Footsteps fade in the purple haze
You adjust the focus sharp and clean
The clearest picture this alley's seen
We're just light in the projector's glow
Counting frames where the midnight hours go
Silver scratches on celluloid skin
Burn bright until the morning winds begin
First light cracks over Shinjuku roof
Projector winds down to its final spool
We pack the cans in their dented case
Another night in this electric place
We're just light in the projector's glow
Counting frames where the midnight hours go
Silver scratches on celluloid skin
Burn bright until the morning winds begin
We're just light in the projector's glow
Rain stops the reel goes dark
Footsteps ring another mark
