Heber Road Hum

[Verse 1]
(Sound of a phone-line click, a soft breath)
Hey, Mija. It's me. Stepped out of the Federal Building on Heber.
The air in there's so cold, you could catch a man a fever.
Saw an old woman, looked just like your 'buela, holding a plastic rose.
They called her number thirty-seven... ni modo, that's how it goes.

[Chorus]
And all I can see is your face at the door this morning,
Handing me that silver thermos without any warning.
Just a quiet prayer in a half-pint of steam,
The only real and solid thing in this whole damn fever dream.

[Verse 2]
The man behind the glass, his tie was knotted wrong.
He asked me, "Do you understand?" after I'd been waiting so long.
My hands look like my father's hands, all crackle-lined and brown,
Felt like I had to hide them when I set my papers down.

[Chorus]
And all I can see is your face at the door this morning,
Handing me that silver thermos without any warning.
Just a quiet prayer in a half-pint of steam,
The only real and solid thing in this whole damn fever dream.

[Bridge]
He wanted dates and towns and names from a life that's mostly dust.
And I gave them all, every single one, in something less than trust.
But your coffee, it still tastes like home, tastes like that Mexicali dawn...
Something to hold onto long after the taste is gone.

[Outro]
(Sound of a distant number being called: "Forty-two...")
Ah, that's me. Gotta go. I'll call you when I'm done.
(Sound of a phone hanging up, a click)