Mile Marker Zero

Tracks

1. 1. Long After the Last Slow SongDriving past the old high school with the gym doors open, I could almost hear the last slow song. I opened the record there because everything starts with a memory.heartland rock, nostalgic ballad4:34
2. 2. Closing Time at the Noodle StallI got off a long haul starving and found a hawker centre where tired people sat shoulder to shoulder. Different country, same kind of welcome.rock ballad, travelogue4:29
3. 3. The Keeper Left the Lamp TurningAn old stone tower, paint gone pale like a ghost, and a keeper who left the lamp turning. I wrote it half asleep and left it that way.dream rock, coastal ballad4:16
4. 4. Hands Like My Father's HandsI looked down at the wheel one morning and saw my father's knuckles on my own hands. That's the whole song, and it took me forty years to write.heartland rock, father song4:06
5. 5. Lullaby for a Lighthouse TownA seaside town in the off-season is the quietest place in America. I sang this one low so I wouldn't wake it.lullaby rock, late-night ballad4:11
6. 6. Last Day on the Loading DockThirty-one years behind the same grey door, and the last day felt like any other. That's what scared me about it.working-class ballad, slow rock3:59
7. 7. Home Is a Zip Code I Can't DialMotel number nine, ice machine humming, and home is a zip code I can't dial. I think a lot of drivers know that room.motel ballad, heartland rock3:22
8. 8. Arrivals Hall, Gate NineTwo in the morning at an arrivals hall, and the floor machine is the only one making a sound. Somebody's about to be very happy.airport ballad, rock ballad4:18
9. 9. Thirty-Five Years and a Free CalendarThe alarm rang at a quarter to five out of habit, and a free calendar was the only thing I got for thirty-five years. I sing it with a smile because the alternative is worse.retirement rock, heartland rock4:12
10. 10. Quarter Past Three, Nobody CallingQuarter past three and the fridge hum is the only company in the house. I kept the arrangement so sparse you can hear the room.hushed rock, insomnia ballad3:59
11. 11. Two Cups and a Candle at Three A.M.A waitress who knows your name is worth more than a five-star hotel. I wrote this one at her counter and left her the tip.diner ballad, cosy rock4:53