Five Pounds of Sugar and a Suitcase

Lyrics

The bell above the door rang out the morning that I left
My father at the counter with his hands in sacks of wheat
He weighed me out some sugar like he'd done for every guest
And said a man who travels should not travel unprovisioned

Tins in tidy towers
Toffees by the till

Five pounds of sugar and a suitcase
That's the way a shopkeeper's son goes
A little bit of sweetness for the long road
And a name the whole street knows
Five pounds of sugar and a suitcase
I'll be stirring it in my tea
In some city far from the corner
But the corner will be in me

Mrs. Bell was buying biscuits, Mr. Quinn was in for string
They shook my hand, they said they'd keep a watch on everything
My mother tucked a ticket-stub of kindness in my coat
And wrote the shop's old number on the lining, just a note

Tins in tidy towers
Toffees by the till

Five pounds of sugar and a suitcase
That's the way a shopkeeper's son goes
A little bit of sweetness for the long road
And a name the whole street knows
Five pounds of sugar and a suitcase
I'll be stirring it in my tea
In some city far from the corner
But the corner will be in me

Oh, the scales will keep on swinging
And the till will keep on ringing
And the kettle at the back will keep on singing
Till I come home, till I come home

The train pulled out, I held the bag against my chest
A paper parcel heavy with the best of all the rest
I'll never weigh a thing again without his steady eye
And I will know that I was loved by how he said goodbye

Five pounds of sugar and a suitcase
That's the way a shopkeeper's son goes
A little bit of sweetness for the long road
And a name the whole street knows
Five pounds of sugar and a suitcase
I'll be stirring it in my tea
In some city far from the corner
But the corner will be in me

Five pounds of sugar
And the corner is in me