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 to 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

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 star-filled morning
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