Meter Running, Stories Told

Lyrics

Back seat, half past midnight, city sliding by
Driver's got a photo taped up by the dashboard eye
Says he's driven twenty years, he knows the way by heart
Every red light's a chapter, every fare's a brand new start
Wipers click like a metronome, radio turned low
He tells me 'bout his daughter's school, how fast the seasons go
I came in with my head down, rhyme book on my knee
He said, young man, the road teaches what the pages can't be

Meter's running, but the time ain't lost
Every mile's got a story, every story's got a cost

Meter running, stories told
Strangers in the back seat, hearts unfold
Left at the light, right at the bridge
Every ride's a little life, a little gift
Meter running, stories told
Warm in the cab when the night gets cold
Drop me at the corner, keep the change
Take the story with me, nothing's the same

He drove a bride to the chapel with her veil caught in the door
Drove a nurse home at dawn, she could barely stand no more
Drove a kid to the airport with a one-way ticket tight
Said, I tell 'em all the same thing: call your mama tonight
Now I'm thinking of my mama, how I never pick up quick
Thinking of the voicemails that I let sit, let them stick
He laughs, says the city's loud but people are soft
Under all that concrete, there's a heart that's turned the volume off

Meter's running, but the time ain't lost
Every mile's got a story, every story's got a cost

Meter running, stories told
Strangers in the back seat, hearts unfold
Left at the light, right at the bridge
Every ride's a little life, a little gift
Meter running, stories told
Warm in the cab when the night gets cold
Drop me at the corner, keep the change
Take the story with me, nothing's the same

We pull up to my building, porch light burning gold
He says, write it down, kid, before the story gets old
I tipped him double, shook his hand, stepped out in the air
Dialed my mama's number standing on the stair
She picked up on the second ring, said, baby, you okay
I said, yeah, I just wanted to hear you say my name today
The cab pulled off slow, taillights fading red
Kept the whole ride in my pocket and a verse inside my head

Somewhere there's a driver with a photo by the glass
Turning every lonely block into a story that will last
Somewhere there's a back seat, somebody's heart unspooled
Thank you for the ride, man, thank you for the school

Meter running, stories told
Strangers in the back seat, hearts unfold
Left at the light, right at the bridge
Every ride's a little life, a little gift
Meter running, stories told
Warm in the cab when the night gets cold
Drop me at the corner, keep the change
Take the story with me, nothing's the same

Meter running, stories told
Keep the change, keep the change