Corner Store Lottery Ticket

Lyrics

Two dollars on the counter, scratch it with a dime
Man behind the register has heard it every time
Everybody dreaming of a different kind of life
Mine is just a quiet house, a paid-up light, a wife
Rain on the awning, receipts in my coat
Rent in my pocket, hope stuck in my throat
I don't need a million, I need one good break
One door that swings open for the honest ones who wait

Scratch it, scratch it, silver on my thumb
Maybe luck is late but it's on its way to come
Scratch it, scratch it, win or lose tonight
I already got the people who keep my porch light bright

Old head by the lottery stand, hat pulled low
Says the only sure thing is the seeds you sow
Kid with a bag of chips counting out his change
Tells me every dream sounds a little bit strange
I used to chase the jackpot, now I chase the day
Pay the people that I owe, give the rest away
If the numbers never line up, I still got my name
And a block that knows my face and calls me when it rains

Scratch it, scratch it, silver on my thumb
Maybe luck is late but it's on its way to come
Scratch it, scratch it, win or lose tonight
I already got the people who keep my porch light bright

Ticket says try again, I fold it in my hand
Walk out in the neon with a smile I didn't plan
Winning ain't a number, it's a table full of friends
Mama's voice on the phone when the long day ends
Counter man nods, says see you tomorrow
I carry what I've got, I don't carry sorrow
Lyric in my notebook, that's my kind of gold
Every line I finish is a story I can hold

Maybe the prize was the walk back home
Streetlights humming like a baritone
Nothing on the card, but I'm rich in the bone

Scratch it, scratch it, silver on my thumb
Maybe luck is late but it's on its way to come
Scratch it, scratch it, win or lose tonight
I already got the people who keep my porch light bright
Scratch it, scratch it, I already won tonight