Stars & Rats

Well that crooked voice came creaking out
Through the frosted glass of a cocktail lounge
Well I love your voice, full of salt and oil
Stars are burning behind the clouds
Rats are running the sidewalks down
Well your pitch is loose, and your words are sour
But they pick me up, and they get me going
From the windy streets, through the dusty dawn
To the 79th Street bus going home tonight
I was told you had a choice
And your blood was burning again
So I stared past the new dawn
And I did what everyone did
Now there’s ice in your throat with the radio hissing
As you burn all the breath in your lungs
Now the bells will ring and the sun will rise
And the room goes red in my haloed eyes
I’m farther away now but your star is bright
I was told you had a choice
And your blood was burning again
So I stared past the new dawn
And I did what everyone did
But you’re stronger than that now
You won’t need our hearts again
You can stare down the road you came
Goodnight, that’s all that there is