Jacek, You Make a Little Room

[Verse 1]
Jacek keeps a chipped blue cup
Beside the window every day
He fixes clocks for half the town
And lets the old ones lose their way
His coat is buttoned crookedly
The rain has darkened one sleeve
He knows which neighbor’s dog won’t bark
And which one’s learning how to leave

[Chorus]
Jacek, you make a little room
For every heart that’s running late
You turn a hard day into something
That can be carried through the gate
Jacek, when the whole world hurries
You stay until the kettle sings
And somehow all the small good things
Come back to you in ordinary ways

[Verse 2]
At market, he remembers names
And asks about the children’s school
He trades a jar of sour cherries
For a loaf still warm from the oven’s cool
His daughter leaves a note upstairs
In blue ink, folded twice
He reads it while he mends a hinge
And keeps the paper by his side

[Chorus]
Jacek, you make a little room
For every heart that’s running late
You turn a hard day into something
That can be carried through the gate
Jacek, when the whole world hurries
You stay until the kettle sings
And somehow all the small good things
Come back to you in ordinary ways

[Bridge]
One winter, the old clock stopped
At half past six, the room went still
He set it down beside the stove
And let the quiet have its fill
Then morning found him at the door
With two warm buns and a grin
He said, “The time can wait a while
There’s still a day to get in”

[Final Chorus]
Jacek, you make a little room
For every heart that’s running late
You turn a hard day into something
That can be carried through the gate
Jacek, when the whole world hurries
You stay until the kettle sings
And somehow all the small good things
Come back to you in ordinary ways

[Outro]
The chipped blue cup, the folded note
The clock begins to move
Jacek leaves the porch light on
For whoever’s coming through