Switchboard After Midnight

Lyrics

Rows of little brass-ringed holes
Glowing in the dark
I plug a cord and pull a cord
And light a distant spark
The night shift has a quiet hum
A kettle and a chair
And somewhere out beyond the wall
Somebody's reaching there

I never see a face
I only hear the breath
The pause before the name they ask
The way they say it, soft

Hold the line, I've got you
I'll find the one you're looking for
Hold the line, I've got you
Past the midnight and the roar
Of all the lonely wires
Humming through the town
Hold the line, I've got you
I won't let you down

A sailor's wife at half past one
Calling down the coast
A boy who just wants to say goodnight
To the one he misses most
A voice that shakes and says her name
And then says nothing more
I let the silence ride along
And wait beside the door

I never see a face
I only hear the breath
The pause before the name they ask
The way they say it, soft

Hold the line, I've got you
I'll find the one you're looking for
Hold the line, I've got you
Past the midnight and the roar
Of all the lonely wires
Humming through the town
Hold the line, I've got you
I won't let you down

And who connects the operator
When the board goes still
When the last light flickers out
And the morning's on the sill
I fold my hands and listen
To the wires settling down
Every voice I carried
Is a small warm sound

Dawn comes grey across the glass
The day girl takes my seat
I leave the headset on its hook
And walk the empty street
Somewhere a phone is ringing
In a kitchen, in a hall
And someone says hello again
And that's the best of all

Hold the line, I've got you
I'll find the one you're looking for
Hold the line, I've got you
Past the midnight and the roar
Of all the lonely wires
Humming through the town
Hold the line, I've got you
And I won't let you down

Hold the line
Hold the line
Somebody's picking up