Track 5 of the EP Left Open, Left Running · 2026
Night Nurse, Heading Home at Seven
“Twelve hours of fluorescent light, and then seven in the morning and the walk home. I wrote it for the people who keep the night going.”
indie folk · night-shift folk · hushed indie folk · 3:45
Lyrics
Twelve hours of fluorescent light And the corridor hum of the night I fold my lanyard in my coat Sign the last chart, swallow the note The car park's silver, the sky is thin The first bus sighs and lets me in Night nurse, heading home at seven The world is waking, I'm winding down Somebody's held on, somebody's given Somebody's breathing in a quiet town Take off your shoes at the door, take your time The tired is heavy, but the tired is kind Night nurse, heading home at seven Let the morning carry you in A man in bed nine asked for my hand Said he was scared, I said I understand We counted the minutes by the drip Till his breathing slowed and his fingers slipped Into sleep, into easy sleep That's a promise I'm glad to keep Night nurse, heading home at seven The world is waking, I'm winding down Somebody's held on, somebody's given Somebody's breathing in a quiet town Take off your shoes at the door, take your time The tired is heavy, but the tired is kind Night nurse, heading home at seven Let the morning carry you in Curtains drawn against the day Tea gone cold the usual way Nobody sees the work we do But the dawn does, and the dawn is true A neighbour's radio, a milk float's hum The ordinary hours begin to come I lay my head on a cool white sheet And the whole night's weight slips off my feet Night nurse, heading home at seven The world is waking, I'm winding down Somebody's held on, somebody's given Somebody's breathing in a quiet town Take off your shoes at the door, take your time The tired is heavy, but the tired is kind Night nurse, heading home at seven Let the morning carry you in Let the morning carry you in Let the morning carry you in