[INSTRUMENTAL — harpsichord arpeggios, twang guitar and brass joining] [VERSE 1 — nimble vocal, chromatic bass stepping below] Nico owed me from a winter when his boatyard nearly went I drove three men across the border and I paid his last month's rent He opened up the office door and didn't ask about the news He just said, "You still bring weather when you visit, don't you?" [PRE-CHORUS — rising melody, harpsichord brightening] He poured three cups, he locked the shutters He looked at Mara, then at me [CHORUS — buoyant open hook, strings lifting] The friend who owes me The friend who owes me One night of shelter One debt fewer [VERSE 2 — playful phrasing, bongos and guitar trading] He kept a room above the invoices, a bed, a sink, a gun He kept a car without papers and a boat that wouldn't run Mara counted out ten thousand; Nico counted out his pride He said, "That buys my memory, it doesn't buy the tide" [CHORUS — buoyant open hook, strings lifting] The friend who owes me The friend who owes me One night of shelter One debt fewer [INSTRUMENTAL — swirling guitar solo, harpsichord continuing beneath] [VERSE 3 — quicker vocal, bass stepping carefully] I asked him for the spare key to the green car by the wall He tossed it over, then he asked if Voss still had my name I said, "Some habits don't retire", he said, "Some stay the same" Mara watched him very closely [PRE-CHORUS — rising melody, strings tightening] He made one call, he said his brother He turned his back, I heard my name [CHORUS — fullest hook, brass and strings lifting] The friend who owes me The friend who owes me One night of shelter One debt fewer [OUTRO — harpsichord circling, vocal echoing] The friend who owes me The friend who owes me I paid him back He still owes me
