Last Stool on the Right

The neon hums a tired tune outsideRain on the glass like a whispered tideSticky rings where the cheap shots diedAnd an ashtray full of almost-tried

The barkeep knows to pour and not to askHe's seen the saints and sinners swap their masks

He nods toward the corner, dimly litWhere the air tastes like smoke and counterfeit

Take the last stool on the rightWhere the shadows eat the lightAnd the mirror shows a ghost you recognizeLet the darkness hit your glassLet it slow your beating pastThere's a wisdom in the silence and the sighsOn the last stool on the right

The jukebox drags a sad Patsy ClineFor the ones who've been here since "last time"The woman with the faded violet eyesLaughs too loud—then lets her laughter die

The old man with the stories in his handsSalt in his coat from long-gone bandsHe nurses one cold beer the whole night throughLike time's a bar tab he can't get through

Take the last stool on the rightWhere the shadows eat the lightAnd the mirror shows a ghost you recognizeLet the darkness hit your glassLet it slow your beating pastThere's a wisdom in the silence and the sighsOn the last stool on the right

This ain't a place for starting outIt's where the fading figures gather 'roundWe're photographs left in the sunNames half-spoken, deals undone

We're the ones who know the punchline's sadAnd swear the best nights were the ones we never had

So pull up close if you're that kindAnd leave your hopeful self behind

Take the last stool on the rightWhere the shadows eat the lightAnd the mirror shows a ghost you recognizeLet the darkness hit your glassLet it slow your beating pastThere's a wisdom in the silence and the sighsOn the last stool on the right

…Save a seat for me tonight.