The Long Way Home

[Verse 1]
You left your blue umbrella
Beside the café door
The waiter knows your order
But asks for you no more
I stir the cup you favored
And watch the window steam
The afternoon keeps moving
As if we’d never been

[Chorus]
So take the long way home tonight
Past the corner where we used to stay
Let the rain tap out its little rhyme
I’ll be all right by break of day
If a song comes drifting through the square
And puts your name beside my own
I’ll let it pass, I’ll let it go
And take the long way home

[Verse 2]
Your book is on my table
A ticket marks page twenty-three
I read the same two sentences
Then let the words be
The lamps come on in order
The buses fill and empty
I fold your paper napkin
And keep the small goodbye

[Chorus]
So take the long way home tonight
Past the corner where we used to stay
Let the rain tap out its little rhyme
I’ll be all right by break of day
If a song comes drifting through the square
And puts your name beside my own
I’ll let it pass, I’ll let it go
And take the long way home

[Bridge]
Maybe love is knowing when
To leave the key upon the sill
To wish a heart a wider road
And let the room grow still

[Final Chorus]
I’ll take the long way home tonight
Past the corner where we used to stay
Let the rain tap out its little rhyme
I’ll be all right by break of day
If a song comes drifting through the square
I’ll smile and let it travel on
I’ll let it pass, I’ll let it go
And take the long way home

[Outro]
The cup is cold, the street is clear
I take the long way home from here