[Intro — soft piano, broom sweeping, distant birds] Morning came in sideways Through a crack beneath the door. The clock was running backward Till it wasn't anymore. A newspaper in the gutter. A black leaf in the street. Somebody's dog was barking At his own four muddy feet. [Verse 1] The baker burned the breakfast. The milkman missed a turn. The mayor found his trousers And the town began to learn— The sky was only weather. The dark was only night. The things that went bump in the basement Were the pipes, if you were right. The windows held their windows. The mirrors held their faces. The old folks walked the sidewalks At their ordinary paces. And out behind the schoolyard, Where the leaves had made a heap, A little boy was laughing At a monster in a sheet. [Chorus — warm, buoyant, ragged harmonies] It's the last day of October! Let the leaves go where they fall. There's no devil in the doorway, No dark behind the wall. It's the last day of October! Hear the whole town coming through. The world's still strange and wonderful— And it doesn't need to scare you. [Verse 2] The children drew their monsters With a crayon and a grin. They gave the wolf a birthday hat And let the skeleton in. The witch next door made pumpkin bread. The ghosts went door to door. One little vampire lost a tooth And cried across the floor. A father walked beside his son Beneath the brittle trees. He didn't have a grand idea. He didn't need a key. He asked him what he'd dreamed about. The boy said, "I forget." The father said, "That's all right, son." The boy said, "Not quite yet." [Chorus] It's the last day of October! Let the leaves go where they fall. There's no devil in the doorway, No dark behind the wall. It's the last day of October! Hear the whole town coming through. The world's still strange and wonderful— And it doesn't need to scare you. [Instrumental — jaunty bass, crooked piano, guitars brightening without losing their rough edges] [Verse 3 — more playful, a little wry] The library opened early. The librarian was late. He'd spent the morning laughing At a book about his fate. He put it back upon the shelf. He took another down. Outside, a boy was chasing leaves That chased him through the town. The carnival had vanished. No footprints, no farewell. Just a patch of trampled clover And a smell of rain and metal. A man looked at the empty field And shook his head in wonder. Then his wife called him for lunch. He said, "I'm coming, dear." And wandered home beneath the thunder— [Small pause] Of a neighbor's broken gutter. [Bridge — band strips back to piano and bass] Maybe growing old is nothing But a door you can't unclose. Maybe all the years you carry Are the garden where it grows. Maybe happiness is stupid. Maybe love is just a hand. Maybe all the great big answers Were too small to understand. Maybe you can spend your whole life Waiting for a sign— And miss the little idiot Who's been standing there the whole time. [Band swells; laughter in the background] [Final Chorus — exuberant, communal, rough around the edges] It's the last day of October! Let the leaves go where they fall. There's no devil in the doorway, No dark behind the wall. It's the last day of October! Hear the whole town coming through. The world's still strange and wonderful— And it doesn't need to scare you! It's the last day of October! There's a chill beneath the sun. There's a hundred years of living And we're not quite done. It's the last day of October! Let the night come when it may. We can laugh into the darkness— We can laugh it all away! [Outro — the band settles into a loose, walking rhythm] A broom against the sidewalk. A screen door slamming shut. A little boy in a paper mask With one untied-up cut— Of string around his collar. A leaf stuck to his shoe. A father walking home with him With nothing left to prove. The clocks all keep their own time. The dead lie where they lie. The moon comes up like always. The stars come out. The town says goodnight. [The piano plays the opening melody, now warm and slightly crooked] [Quietly] Tomorrow is November. [Beat] We'll see what that brings. [Children laughing in the distance] [Final guitar chord — warm, imperfect, allowed to ring] [Silence]
