Signs

Tired old coot with a silk trombone
Tired and alone
Just bought my last pack of cigarettes again
Threw it away
Was the best 6 dollars I ever spent
Pulled into the grocery store
Used to be open till midnight
Before that it was open 24/7
Must be the recession
11:45 pm it was closed
Sign said new hours
Seven to eleven
Damn
99 Luftballoons on the radio
Jumped back into the car
99 red balloons go by
Valentines day 2009
No cigarettes for me at city market
Wasn’t gonna smoke
There’s the gas station
Need more toothpaste
Pull in with car running
It’s open
Only toothpaste is travel size with mini toothbrush included
And a pack of American Spirits in the yellow box please
Unwrap them
Back in the car
Window’s frozen again as I’m pulling out a smoke for the drive home
Take a left onto main street and immediately run a red light
At which point I take note of the song that is playing on the radio
Sign Sign
Everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this don’t do that
Can’t you read the sign!?
Window won’t roll down
Pack of cigarettes in my hand

Threw them in the trash when I got home
Can’t barely walk tonight
Cause I worked all day
When I say I worked all day, I mean I worked all day
8 AM till 11:40 PM
That’s a 16 and a half hour day
Longest damn day I ever worked
And my feet hurt
I was born with the silver spoons
But I spent a good part of today just cleaning them
Hand wash em up real nice
Then polish them with the gloves on
Somebody else’s Silver
Somebody else’s stuff
Got to be that fly on the wall
Serving wine and listening
Our China’s all disappearing
Bunch of idiots in the family done lost it all
I’m just another one
Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Bunch a fucking drunks out stupid all the time
These billionaire Jews don’t drink like us
They have a damn good inventory of all their expensive shit
They have responsible help
Hold them accountable
I’m an undercover butler
Shining somebody else’s silver
I’ve watched the waves roll in
Watched the water pull back
Sucking off the shine and leaving sand
Drying in the sun