The Once
Song for Memory
The old men are proud
Of the songs that they've picked
Hummin' in time where
The words come unfixed

Just five kings left
Only four can turn tricks
The tallow is burning a bath for the wicks

Some get it right while some make mistakes
Some hear the chorus some only the breaks
When singing the verse through the sips that he takes
And some close their eyes as their memories ache

A full house is five men
But very few glances
Shuffle the cards and
Hand out the chances

One knight to the queen while the clock still advances
And pondering time in long empty trances

Stuck in a town where your reach meets the view
Where the dreams that you held were both fleeting and few
They crackle like fire on their way up the floo
Well each day you work and weeks-end you're due
And it's row upon row of the people you know
And it's row upon row of the people you know
Stand still as a choir that hasn't yet sung
Stand still as a choir that hasn't yet sung

No head goes unnodded
No head goes unhung
And the time to head home has long ago come

The current runs high and are filling their lungs
The song goes around like a black vinyl tongue
The guitar in the corner, its neck left unstrung
And the girl at the bar is impossibly young
Smiling bright as the clock strikes a quarter past one

And it's row upon row of the people you know
And it's row upon row of the people you know
And it's row upon row of the people you know
Stand still as a choir that hasn't yet sung
Stand still as a choir that hasn't yet sung
Stand still as a choir that hasn't yet sung