Formica Prayer

[Verse 1]
The 'E' on the Val-Rose diner sign is buzzin' off-key
Dust on the dash of this ninety-eight GMC
The gravel makes a sound like a rattler's warnin'
As I walk through the heat the engine's still pourin' out

[Chorus]
And all I wanna say is your name
Like a secret I kept through the wind and the rain
Just say your name, and see if it lands
In the circle of coffee held in your hands

[Verse 2]
Through the plate glass window, you're in the back booth
Stirrin' your cup like you're searchin' for truth
"You're late," you'll say, not lookin' up from the menu
It's Tuesday at nine, same as I always knew

[Chorus]
And all I wanna say is your name
Like a secret I kept through the wind and the rain
Just say your name, and see if it lands
In the circle of coffee held in your hands

[Bridge]
This whole conversation's a seam of fool's gold
In a bedrock of silence that's a hundred years old
My hand's on the cold steel handle of the door

[Instrumental Solo]

[Outro]
The 'E' on the Val-Rose diner sign just flickered and died
I turn the key and put the ghost back inside.