Last Bus at 10:15 — DaddyLove

Intro

Quarter past ten

Driver shuts the door

You getting on?

Verse 1

Mama left the porch bulb on
Same one full of moths
I said I had a late shift
Then pulled my work badge off

Black hoodie in the backpack
Small box under that
Ray said, "Take it to the tire shop
Don't stop there and chat"

I know the man behind the counter
Gold tooth, heavy stare
Keeps a bat below the register
And cameras everywhere

Bus pass bent inside my wallet
Two rides left this week
My little brother needs new gym shoes
Mine got holes beneath

That's how every bad idea starts
With something you can name
A phone bill or an empty fridge
Then someone takes the blame

Ray keeps calling every minute
I keep letting it ring
The last bus leaves on Jefferson
At exactly 10:15

Chorus

Last bus at 10:15
Door folds shut, engine breathes
Mama's porch light's waiting on me
Like it still believes

Last bus at 10:15
One more block, one more street
I can hear that driver calling
But he ain't calling me

Verse 2

Darnell used to ride beside me
Back when school got out
We'd split fries behind the market
Talk too big and loud

Now his picture's by the freezer
In his auntie's corner store
Blue cap, crooked graduation gown
He was seventeen, no more

Everybody knew who did it
Nobody said a word
Candles melted on the sidewalk
While patrol cars watched the curb

Ray said Darnell got careless
Said it like a weather fact
Then he handed me the same route
And told me not to ask

At the tire shop, the gate was down
A note taped to the glass
"Back in five," in black ink
Twenty-seven minutes passed

There's a cruiser by the bus stop
Headlights pointed west
There's a box inside my backpack
And my name inside my chest

Chorus

Last bus at 10:15
Door folds shut, engine breathes
Mama's porch light's waiting on me
Like it still believes

Last bus at 10:15
One more block, one more street
I can hear that driver calling
But he ain't calling me

Bridge

Mama said,
"If you're coming, bring some milk"

That's all she said

Didn't ask where I'd been
Didn't ask who I was with

Just,
"If you're coming, bring some milk"

Verse 3

Ten twelve on the pharmacy clock
Ray calls number nine
The tire shop gate starts rolling up
Right there on the line

Gold tooth steps into the doorway
Looks once at my bag
Across the street the bus pulls in
Its brakes let out a gasp

Driver knows me from the mornings
Taps his watch and waits
Cruiser turns onto Jefferson
Moving slow, no plates

My hand is on the backpack strap
My shoes stay on the curb
Ray is talking through the speaker
I can't make out the words

Bus doors open, warm air hits me
Gold tooth waves me in
Two directions, twenty feet apart
Both know where I've been

I take the box out of the backpack
Hold it by the tape
Driver says, "Come on, young man"
Gold tooth says my name

Final Chorus

Last bus at 10:15
Door folds shut, engine breathes
Mama's porch light's waiting on me
Milk going warm beneath the seat

Last bus at 10:15
One missed call, one empty street
I can hear that driver calling
This time he's calling me

Outro

Ten fifteen

The phone rings

The bus doors close

I let both of them pass