With Age

Pockets LP, Southern Records / 2004 

Careful when you crank that last one down,
The yellow chips with ease, with age.
They're kind of old but they're the best ones,
Not gonna tip as they slip through the waves.
Hey, I almost forgot to say, guess who I ran into yesterday?
It's been two years since I've seen her down this way.

We talked till the sun came,
Then we walked, just ignored the rain.
Hanging out was almost the same
Only without all the doubt, without all the pain.
Made me think when you think things are done -
Now I know you can really love only one.
But you you can't give up on the first ones
Because the honesty comes with age.

I knew that would be the last song coming out of that machine.
The bar back had somewhere else to be,
If you know what I mean. But hey, I wanted to stay,
So I put another dollar in and pressed "play".
Just one of those rare nights
When you don't want to see the bare light of the next day.

That won't be the last nod,
That came last night from her face.
They tried to cut us off, they even turned out the lights,
But they couldn't turn off the grace.
With which she listened to every word -
Clear among the din of glass and laughter, unheard,
With an attention and respect.
That I could hardly return In such a crowded place.