Cold Coffee

Cold Coffee

“Won’t you listen to me people, ‘fore I catch that train and ride”
He waved his hand a little, and the conversation died
‘Til you could almost hear a pin drop on that cold, wet night
‘Cept for the ballast buzzing in that neon light
And his voice fell to a whisper, as he stared down at his shoes
Like a man whose pride is all he’d left to lose

“I’ve lived here half a lifetime,” he started to explain
“Leaving on the nine eleven, won’t be coming back again
And I never had a friend but one to call my own
And chased a dream so empty turned my heart to stone
But that’s just by way of saying, for what I’ve learned I paid the price
And if you let me I’ll give you some free advice”

“Don’t be standing on the platform
With your java in your hand
Miss your chance to hop that freight and go
Regret leaves such a bitter taste
When your castle’s turned to sand
And the sands of time are fleeting
They’ll be gone before you know
And a cold cup of coffee
Will be all you’ll have to show”

“And once I loved a young girl, I was sure we’d never part”
His gray eyes misted over, like the windows of his heart
“We lived inside a moment that was lost to time
After thirty winters she’s still on my mind”
He fumbled with a button and brushed away a tear
And the present, past and future all came clear

“Don’t be standing on the platform
With your java in your hand
Miss your chance to hop that freight and go
Regret leaves such a bitter taste
When your castle’s turned to sand
And the sands of time are fleeting
They’ll be gone before you know
And a cold cup of coffee
Will be all you’ll have to show”

“Now that whistle’s growin’ nearer, I’ve gotta see what’s down the line
There’s just so far to travel, and I’ve got so little time”
While his hand produced a ticket for that southbound train
He stumbled out of the station into the pouring rain
And some went back to talking though their future’d been foretold
But in my mouth the coffee just turned cold

“Don’t be standing on the platform
With your java in your hand
Miss your chance to hop that freight and go
Regret leaves such a bitter taste
When your castle’s turned to sand
And the sands of time are fleeting
They’ll be gone before you know
And a cold cup of coffee
Will be all you’ll have to show”

“And a cold cup of coffee
Will be all you’ll have to show”