No Child Walks Alone

Lyrics

[Verse 1] He waits where the playground empties With a paper moon in his hand Calls every frightened child by a secret name And promises a far-off land [Pre-Chorus] But the porch lights blink in warning And the dogs begin to cry Every mother locks the window Every father scans the drive [Chorus] He steals kids in the dead of evening Leaves no footprint by the gate But the whole town keeps the porch lights burning And we will not let him take He steals kids, but we stand together Name by name, we guard the road When the smallest voice says, “Help me” No child walks alone [Verse 2] There’s a ribbon tied to lampposts There are maps across the schoolroom floor Older brothers ride their bicycles Checking every alley door [Pre-Chorus] And the whispers turn to footsteps And the fear becomes a plan Every neighbor takes a lantern Every hand reaches for a hand [Chorus] He steals kids in the dead of evening Leaves no footprint by the gate But the whole town keeps the porch lights burning And we will not let him take He steals kids, but we stand together Name by name, we guard the road When the smallest voice says, “Help me” No child walks alone [Bridge] At the old train yard they found him With his paper moons laid out He heard a hundred voices calling And the night gave up its doubt [Final Chorus] He stole kids once in the dead of evening Now the locked doors all swing wide Every child comes home by morning With a hundred hearts beside He stole kids, but we stand together Name by name, we brought them home When the smallest voice says, “Help me” No child walks alone [Outro] No child walks alone No child walks alone