The Projectionist Never Sees the Ending

Lyrics

Up the narrow stairs behind the screen
There's a little room that hums
Two old projectors and a window
Where the beam of silver comes
I thread the film the way my father did
Loop it round the wheel
Every night I light the dark for strangers
And I know how it all will feel

But I'm watching through a pane of glass
The back of every head
And I never see the ending
Of the stories that I fed

The projectionist never sees the ending
I'm turning off the lamp as the kiss begins
I hear the town laugh through the wall
I hear the quiet when they fall
For the story that I'm sending
The projectionist never sees the ending
But I know by the sound that love wins

Saturday the whole town squeezes in
Children on the aisle
Widow Ellis in her usual seat
Always there to smile
I change the reel at the little burning dot
Hold my breath for the cue
Nobody knows the man behind the light
But the light gets through

And I'm watching through a pane of glass
The back of every head
And I never see the ending
Of the stories that I fed

The projectionist never sees the ending
I'm turning off the lamp as the kiss begins
I hear the town laugh through the wall
I hear the quiet when they fall
For the story that I'm sending
The projectionist never sees the ending
But I know by the sound that love wins

Let the credits roll without me
Let the faces turn to gold
I am happy in the doorway
Where the beam is bright and bold
I have given them the evening
That is all I want to hold

The projectionist never sees the ending
I'm turning off the lamp as the kiss begins
I hear the town laugh through the wall
I hear the quiet when they fall
For the story that I'm sending
The projectionist never sees the ending
But I know by the sound that love wins

Switch the little lamp to dark
Hear the seats fold up
The town goes home in silver
And the stairs go down in dust