Gumball Machine Glass

[Verse 1]
The Phillips 66 off Zuni Canyon road is gone now.
Just a concrete slab where I stared at that cracked plastic dome.
I was seven, it was August, the air smelled like hot tar and rain.
You were counting out quarters, trying to hide the strain.

[Chorus]
Three dollars short for the gas pump, one quarter shy for the prize.
The whole damn world reflected in that gumball machine's eyes.
It wasn't about the candy, guess it never really was.
It was the first time I learned what a quarter costs.

[Verse 2]
Your apron pocket held the scent of yesterday's coffee grounds.
The whole way home, we didn't make a single sound.
I traced the Z-shaped crack in the Ford's dusty glass,
Figured some debts are the kind that are built to last.

[Chorus]
Three dollars short for the gas pump, one quarter shy for the prize.
The whole damn world reflected in that gumball machine's eyes.
It wasn't about the candy, guess it never really was.
It was the first time I learned what a quarter costs.

[Bridge]
And I ain't writing you, Mama, to make you feel bad.
Just wanted to tell you I finally understand.
You said, "Next time, honey," but there wasn't a next time for that.
And that's alright. Your love wasn't something you kept on a tab.

[Musical Saw Solo]

[Outro]
Some nights I still see it.
That cheap little planet of plastic and glass.