The Black Cat Café

Lyrics

[Verse 1] You push the door; the bell gives one small cry A kettle steams beneath a painted moon The keeper sets a saucer by your hand A black cat watches from the windowsill Its yellow eyes know every name you hide And every road that brought you here too soon [Pre-Chorus] Rain taps time on the old tin sign The clock forgets to turn You came to warm your hands awhile But something here remembers [Chorus] At the Black Cat Café, where the candles lean And the velvet curtains hide what might have been Take your seat, let the midnight brew There’s a place at the table waiting just for you At the Black Cat Café, when the bells ring three The cat slips through the door, but it leaves its eyes on me [Verse 2] A cracked blue cup, a spoon of sugared clove A menu written in a stranger’s hand The radio hums a tune you almost know While footprints cross the flour on the floor You ask the keeper who was here before She smiles and says, “They never leave this town” [Pre-Chorus] Rain taps time on the old tin sign The clock forgets to turn You came to warm your hands awhile But something here remembers [Chorus] At the Black Cat Café, where the candles lean And the velvet curtains hide what might have been Take your seat, let the midnight brew There’s a place at the table waiting just for you At the Black Cat Café, when the bells ring three The cat slips through the door, but it leaves its eyes on me [Bridge] I found my name beneath the cup In ink that hadn’t dried The keeper turned the key once more The cat was at my side “Your coat is wet, your tea is cold The night is far from done” Then every chair scraped back at once And every face was mine [Final Chorus] At the Black Cat Café, where the candles lean And the velvet curtains hide what might have been Take your seat, let the midnight brew There’s a place at the table waiting just for you At the Black Cat Café, hear the bells ring three The cat slips through the door—and the next guest looks like me [Outro] The kettle sings; the sign swings slow One warm light in the falling snow At the Black Cat Café