Number Twelve Leaves the Bins Out for Me

Lyrics

We've never said much more than good morning
He nods over the hedge when it's wet
I know his hat, his slow slippers, his cough
His blue recycling box, and not his name yet

Last week I came home late from the hospital
Too tired to hold my own keys right
And there by my door sat my bins, all tidied
And a lamp on, left on, for the night

Oh neighbour, neighbour, I never said thank you
Never knocked, never wrote it down
But I saw the small things you did without asking
And they made a home of this town
Neighbour, neighbour, one day I'll find the words
For now, I'll leave the porch light on

I bake too much, so I'll leave a loaf
Wrapped in a tea towel on your gate
No note, no knock, just a quiet hello
Maybe that's how we communicate

Some people you only know by their gestures
A wave, a lit window, a mended fence
And maybe that's closeness enough for a street
Where nobody wants to be intense

Oh neighbour, neighbour, I never said thank you
Never knocked, never wrote it down
But I saw the small things you did without asking
And they made a home of this town
Neighbour, neighbour, one day I'll find the words
For now, I'll leave the porch light on

For now, I'll leave the porch light on