Jose Keeps Moving

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Jose leaves before the county wakes Boots on gravel, coffee gone cold Checks the door, checks the road twice Still keeps count of every mile At the grocery store he takes the wall Reads the room before he reads the list They call him home; he nods and smiles But home is something he can't quite risk [Pre-Chorus] The years came back beneath his skin A quiet drill that never ends [Chorus] He’s all work, no rest, one hand on the wheel A civilian coat over nerves of steel Trying to fold the whole wide world Small enough to box, then shelve away But the box won’t close, and the day rolls on So he sets his jaw and carries on Jose keeps moving, one hard step at a time Still here, still trying to leave the war behind [Verse 2] His daughter asks him to stay for supper He says he will, then takes one more shift The porch light burns on an empty chair He knows what he’s doing, can’t loosen his grip He sorts the mail into careful stacks Keeps every promise that he can keep When the house goes still, he sits by the window Too tired to sleep, too proud to speak [Pre-Chorus] The years came back beneath his skin A quiet drill that never ends [Chorus] He’s all work, no rest, one hand on the wheel A civilian coat over nerves of steel Trying to fold the whole wide world Small enough to box, then shelve away But the box won’t close, and the day rolls on So he sets his jaw and carries on Jose keeps moving, one hard step at a time Still here, still trying to leave the war behind [Bridge] Some nights the past knocks hard and loud He lets it pass, he doesn’t run At dawn he calls his brother back And says, “I think I need someone” [Guitar Solo] [Final Chorus] He’s all work, no rest, but he’s learning to yield Let a friend take a watch, let the old wounds heal He can’t fold the whole wide world Can’t box the hurt and shelve it away But the box can wait, and the day rolls on He takes one breath, then carries on Jose keeps moving, with a little room to mend Still here, still trying—and reaching out again [Outro] One hard step, then another one Jose keeps moving toward the sun