Neon Solitude

The night shift weighs heavy on weary shoulders Fluorescent lights flicker, the linoleum floor smolders Faces pass by, each with a story untold While I stand here, my own life on hold Scanning barcodes as the hours crawl Stuck in this place, back against the wall Dreams of escape dance behind vacant eyes In this prison of commerce, this neon disguise [chorus]Trapped in this convenience store cage Selling my soul for minimum wage Dreams die here under the buzzing light Waiting for a savior in the dead of night[chorus] [verse] A homeless man lingers, coins clenched in his palm Muttering a scripture like a protective psalm The magazine covers promise easy desires While my life is stuck in first gear, wheels mired [verse] I hand him his smokes, count his nickels and dimes He coughs up a story from harder times For a moment we're human, two lost souls connecting Then the door chimes his exit, the script keeps repeating [Chorus] Trapped in this convenience store cage Selling my soul for minimum wage Dreams die here under the buzzing light Waiting for a savior in the dead of night [chorus] [Bridge] Beyond the parking lot, the highway's a river Of headlights and taillights, flowing forever One day I'll break free, become more than this But tonight I'm still waiting for that pump number six [/bridge] [Outro] The night shift weighs heavy, the floor smolders on In the land of the lost, where the neon belongs Scanning my heart, under the flickering light Trapped in this convenience store cage tonight