The Night Shift Gatekeeper

(Intro)(The sound of a bus engine idling in the distance. A slow, rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming begins—minor chords with a deep resonance.)(Verse 1)The neon flicker hums against the terminal glassI watch the broken shadows and the hollow spirits passAnother city bus pulls in, breathing out a sighUnderneath the yellow glow of a soot-stained skyI got the badge upon my chest and the radio on my hipBut I’m just trying to keep the peace and keep the world from slipThe schedule says the 402 is running ten behindBut time don't mean a thing to those who’ve lost their very mind.(Chorus)I’m walking through the wreckage and the smoke of human soulsTrying to keep the fire down before it takes controlBetween the tweaker’s tremble and the homeless man’s despairI can feel the demons breathing in the heavy city airI don’t want the friction, I don’t want the fightI’m just a quiet candle in the middle of the nightWith a righteous kind of mercy for the ones who’ve lost the keyJust a human helping humans. Yeah, dats me.(Verse 2)He’s talking to the empty air, swinging at the windFighting battles in a war where he’s already been pinnedThe glass is in his eyes and the poison’s in his skinBut I see the little boy beneath the mess he’s living inI don’t lead with iron, no, I lead with a steady hand‘Cause I know the shifting sorrow of this unforgiving landI offer up a bottle of water and a moment of my timeWhile the world looks the other way and treats them like a crime.(Pre-Chorus)(Music gets slightly louder)There’s a darkness in the corners that the light will never touchThe weight of all this suffering, it can feel like far too muchBut I hear the Spirit whisper, stay steady, stay kindLeave the anger and the judgment of the world far behind.(Chorus)I’m walking through the wreckage and the smoke of human soulsTrying to keep the fire down before it takes controlBetween the tweaker’s tremble and the homeless man’s despairI can feel the demons breathing in the heavy city airI don’t want the friction, I don’t want the fightI’m just a quiet candle in the middle of the nightWith a righteous kind of mercy for the ones who’ve lost the keyJust a human helping humans. Yeah, dats me.(Bridge)(The guitar slows down to a soft, finger-picked melody)I’m the listener for the lonely, I’m the healer for the bruisedIn a system built on anger where the people get abusedI don’t need to raise my voice to make the shadows turn and fleeI just show 'em that I see 'em... and I let 'em simply be.(One heavy stomp )Say my name—I’m the watcher at the gate.Say my name—I’m the one who’s gonna wait.(Guitar Solo)(A mournful harmonica or slide guitar solo over the steady rhythm)(Final Chorus)I’m walking through the wreckage and the smoke of human soulsTrying to keep the fire down before it takes controlBetween the tweaker’s tremble and the homeless man’s despairI can feel the demons breathing in the heavy city airI don’t want the friction, I don’t want the fightI’m just a quiet. Not to fight it.