Vacancy Sign Burning Red

Lyrics

I work the desk at the Desert Rose
From midnight until six
Got a bell that rings for strangers
And a drawer of room keys and tricks
The ice machine's got a stutter
The pool's been dry since May
But the vacancy sign keeps burning
For anyone who needs a place to stay

Vacancy sign burning red
Over the lot where the dust is shed
Come in out of the long dark road
Lay down whatever you've been carrying home
I can't fix what's keeping you up
But I'll pour you something in a paper cup
Vacancy sign burning red
Room twelve is made, and the bed's been spread

A woman came in near three o'clock
With a suitcase and a stare
Said she'd left a life in Tucson
And she didn't much care where
I gave her the key to number nine
Said the heater's slow but it's warm
She said, you're kind, I said, it's just the job
But I stood there till the storm

Vacancy sign burning red
Over the lot where the dust is shed
Come in out of the long dark road
Lay down whatever you've been carrying home
I can't fix what's keeping you up
But I'll pour you something in a paper cup
Vacancy sign burning red
Room twelve is made, and the bed's been spread

Some folks check in for a night
Some folks check in for good
Some just need a door that locks
And a light, the way a light should

Now the sky's gone pale at the window
And the trucks are warming up
She leaves her key on the counter
Next to my paper cup
She says thank you, and I nod
And I watch her taillights climb
Then I flip the switch, but I leave it on
For the next one down the line

Vacancy sign burning red
Over the lot where the dust is shed
Come in out of the long dark road
Lay down whatever you've been carrying home
I can't fix what's keeping you up
But I'll pour you something in a paper cup
Vacancy sign burning red
Room twelve is made, and the bed's been spread

Burning red, burning red
Somebody's coming, I can tell
Burning red