Track 8 of the album One More Verse Before the Lights Come Up · 2026
Vending Machine Coffee at Two A.M.
by Wren Hallett
“Vending machine coffee, bolted chairs and a clock above the door that's slow. I wrote it waiting for news, and the news was good.”
indie folk · hushed folk · hopeful ballad · 3:59
Lyrics
The chairs are bolted in a row The clock above the door is slow I fold my coat across my knees And count the ceiling tiles to ease A nurse goes by on soft white shoes She nods at me, there's no more news The vending machine hums its one low note I buy a coffee, watch it float Vending machine coffee at two a.m. Bitter and hot and I'm holding on Somebody's sleeping down the hall And I'm learning how to wait, that's all Paper cup warm in both my hands Hoping for morning, it understands A stranger shares her crossword book I fill a word without a look We do not say what brought us here The kindness sits between us, clear Vending machine coffee at two a.m. Bitter and hot and I'm holding on Somebody's sleeping down the hall And I'm learning how to wait, that's all Paper cup warm in both my hands Hoping for morning, it understands The window turns from black to grey The first bird tries a note And I breathe out the longest night With a feather in my throat Vending machine coffee at dawn, at last The doctor smiles, the worst has passed Somebody's waking down the hall And I was brave, and that is all Paper cup empty, hands unclenched Thank you, morning, for the rest Thank you, morning Thank you, morning