Gene ZIERLER

Lyrics

NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER
An interpretation of the painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper
(Album: Saints and Poets 2008)

There’s a place in the city where the nighthawks go
An island of light in green and yellow
A corner of glass, wood, and naugahyde
Serving up coffee with silence on the side
A refuge for strangers at the end of the block
Leftover people the day forgot
The stories they tell and the secrets they keep
The nighthawks at the diner
While the city sleeps

What did he say, the guy in the white hat?
And the woman in red, what is she looking at?
The man beside her, he smokes too much
Are their hands just close, or do they really touch?
Why did they come and what makes them stay?
Are they going home or running away?
They are all joined together but their eyes never meet
The nighthawks at the diner
While the city sleeps

And late every evening I take the same seat
My hat tipped down low, my back to the street
A nameless suit in the windowpane
Wondering how I got into this frame
From the outside looking in, what do you see?
I only know what is in front of me
A picture as wide as the night is deep
The nighthawks at the diner
While the city sleeps

The nighthawks at the diner
While the city sleeps