Harbor Morning

[Verse 1] You’ve got a line curling past the old fairground gate I’m flipping corn cakes while the peppers turn gold A woman asks why i call this one “harbor morning” I tell her my grandfather traded spices off boats He’d name every port by the smell in the sack I folded that lesson in with the greens Now the first bite takes her somewhere she’s never been And she laughs like she knows what i mean [Pre-Chorus] A little heat from the southern coast A squeeze of lime from the market down the road Every plate has a place it came from And a reason it found its way here [Chorus] Come on up, taste the miles in a mouthful Hear the old stories turn new From the coast to the valley, from my hands to yours There’s a whole wide world on this grill Come on up, bring a friend to the counter Let the good flavors meet I’m still learning the map, one happy face at a time And tonight it all comes together to eat [Verse 2] A kid points at the dumplings and asks what’s inside So i tell him about mina, who taught me the fold She ran a tiny lunch stand beside the train yard And could feed twenty people with one pot of gold Not gold, just lentils, ginger, and patience Her secret was tasting before calling it done He takes one bite, then he waves to his dad Like he’s found a new favorite under the sun [Pre-Chorus] A little smoke from the mountain side Sweet plantain with a bright chile bite Every plate has a place it came from And a reason it found its way here [Chorus] Come on up, taste the miles in a mouthful Hear the old stories turn new From the coast to the valley, from my hands to yours There’s a whole wide world on this grill Come on up, bring a friend to the counter Let the good flavors meet I’m still learning the map, one happy face at a time And tonight it all comes together to eat [Bridge] The last ticket’s stamped, but the line’s still talking A drummer packs up as the dusk rolls in They trade me a recipe, i trade them a story That’s how a good meal keeps traveling [Final chorus] Come on up, taste the miles in a mouthful Hear the old stories turn new From the coast to the valley, from my hands to yours There’s a whole wide world on this grill Come on up, bring a friend to the counter Let the good flavors meet I’m still learning the map, one happy face at a time And tonight it all comes together to eat [Outro] One happy face at a time From my hands to yours Tonight it all comes together