Waffle Boy

WAFFLE BOY

There’s a new guy making waffles today at the Waffle House
It’s Sunday morning and busy as it can be
I take the last available seat at the counter
Where the new guy is stationed right in front of me

All four of his machines are overflowing with batter
It’s oozing down the cabinet to the floor
It’s two inches deep, he can hardly keep his footing
And three waitresses are waiting for

Waffles… if he can’t make ‘em, they can’t serve ‘em
Shouldn’t we diners take a closer look at him?

Five foot five, barely seventeen
Legs tangled up in dirty apron strings
Really bad skin, two broken teeth
Arms like sticks poking out of his sleeves
A chef’s hat teetering on his big ears
He’s sweating like a pig, he’s fighting back the tears
In this trial by fire --
The boy who mans the waffle irons.

A buzzer sounds, a waffle’s ready, so he lifts the lid
He can’t ease the waffle out, so he grabs a fork
He stabs at the waffle, it breaks into little pieces
He digs them out and flicks them on the floor

A young waitress can’t resist, she tries to help him
But the man in charge of eggs throws her a look
She backs away, I guess the egg man is the owner
Or the father of this awkward would-be cook, of

Waffles, he can’t make ‘em, they can’t serve ‘em
We’re all thinking that this job’s too much for him.

Five foot five, barely seventeen
Legs tangled up in dirty apron strings
Really bad skin, two broken teeth
Arms like sticks pokin’ out of his sleeves
A chef’s hat teetering on his big ears
He’s sweatin’ like a pig, he’s fightin’ back the tears
Ain’t it time to fire
The boy who mans the waffle irons?

Just look at all our plates lined up beside the waffle boy
Bacon, eggs and sausage, all congealing
Everyone is hungry, little children are crying
So who cares how a teenager is feeling?

Then, suddenly he puts a waffle on an egg-filled plate
His ragged smile would take your breath away
He spins around to show the waffle to that waitress
But like a Frisbee it sails right off the plate

And flies into the face of the egg man
Who catches it and looks down at the kid
He holds up the waffle for all of us to see it
Then he smiles and says, “Do you see what my boy did?

Waffles. My boy can make ‘em, now we can serve ‘em
And I always knew he had the gift in him!”

Five foot five, barely seventeen
Legs tangled up in dirty apron strings
Really bad skin, two broken teeth
Arms like sticks pokin’ out of his sleeves
A chef’s hat teetering on his big ears
He’s sweatin’ like a pig, he’s fightin’ back the tears
But there’ll be no firin’
Now we’re all admirin’
And he’s awe-inspirin’
The boy who mans the waffle irons