Track 5 of the album Overtime Pay · 2016
Laundromat Quarters Lullaby
by Kane Rivers
“Mama taught me to fold towels like it was scripture. Sunday night quarters, soft drums.”
boom-bap · tender boom-bap · gospel-tinged · 3:27
Lyrics
Sunday night, I got a bag of quarters in my fist Mama taught me fold the towels like a sacred kind of list Dryer number nine is humming like a bass line on repeat Plastic chairs and fluorescent light, a neighbor in each seat I'm writing bars on a dryer sheet, the lint becomes the rhyme Every spin a little drum roll keeping steady time Hands that built the week are folding what the week has worn Clean slate in a laundry bag, a fresh start newly born Round and round, the warm air sings Quarter drops and the whole room swings Quarters in the slot, let the old day spin Wash it all away and let the new one in Warm clothes, warm hands, a slow and steady tune Laundromat lullaby under a yellow moon Old man by the window reads the paper front to back Little girl does cartwheels down the aisle and doesn't slack Lady with the baby blue blanket hums a gospel line I trade a smile for a stranger's smile, and that's a fair design Soap smell in the air like a memory of home Tumble of the buttons and the zippers in the chrome Everybody here is carrying a little bit of weight But the warm clothes fresh out the dryer make the long night feel okay Round and round, the warm air sings Quarter drops and the whole room swings Quarters in the slot, let the old day spin Wash it all away and let the new one in Warm clothes, warm hands, a slow and steady tune Laundromat lullaby under a yellow moon Fold it, stack it, tuck it in, I'm walking out at ten Basket on my hip like I'm a champion again Streetlight on the sidewalk and the cold air on my face Shirt still warm against my chest, a little saving grace I'll hit the booth tomorrow with a cleaner kind of flow Pressed and ready for the week, I'm good to go Small things hold you up when the big things pull you down A basket full of warmth is the best crown in town Spin, spin, slowly spin Let the quiet carry in Every wrinkle, every stain Gets a little less like pain Quarters in the slot, let the old day spin Wash it all away and let the new one in Warm clothes, warm hands, a slow and steady tune Laundromat lullaby under a yellow moon Laundromat lullaby, fold it up and go Warm clothes, warm hands, steady as the flow