One Brief Verse at a Time

[Verse 1] By the fountain near the bandstand, i unfold a page A boy explains his paper kite to someone twice his age A nurse in blue takes off her shoes and lets the grass cool down While two old friends compare the years they’ve carried through this town [Pre-Chorus] I catch a phrase, i catch a grin The breeze turns one page as another begins [Chorus] I’m writing down the passing day The little truths that drift my way A name, a joke, a hand held out The things a crowded park’s about And when the spring air lifts the lines I let them go, then start again The city tells me who we are One brief verse at a time [Verse 2] A vendor counts his change in spanish, humming as he works A girl rehearses for her speech, then laughs at how she’s nervous A man in paint-stained trousers sketches pigeons on the path A toddler crowns a patient dog with dandelion crowns [Pre-Chorus] I borrow nothing, keep no score Just set the words beside the day, then listen for one more [Chorus] I’m writing down the passing day The little truths that drift my way A name, a joke, a hand held out The things a crowded park’s about And when the spring air lifts the lines I let them go, then start again The city tells me who we are One brief verse at a time [Bridge] No one stays the same for long A busker changes keys mid-song The sun slides past the sycamores And every face becomes a door I tip my hat to what i’ve seen And leave some room between the lines [Final chorus] I’m writing down the passing day The little truths that drift my way A name, a joke, a hand held out The things a crowded park’s about And when the spring air lifts the lines I let them go, then start again The city tells me who we are One brief verse at a time [Outro] One brief verse at a time While the soft wind turns the page