Gas Station Chapel

[INSTRUMENTAL — piano triplets rolling over snaps, bass bouncing in]

[VERSE 1 — easy storytelling flow, smiling]
Fridays after shift I'm at the Chevron on Grand
Alphonso got my two-dollar crosswords waiting in his hand
Two Crossword Cash, one Lucky 7s, scratched with Granddad's quarter
Ritual older than my car and holier than water
Won fifty bucks in March — Alphonso rung the little bell
Frame the winning ticket? Nah, I spent it — wish me well
My girl calls it a tax on hope — she might be right
I call it twenty minutes of maybe on a Friday night

[HOOK — cheerful chant, call and answer]
One more (one more), one more (one more)
Gas station chapel, baby, scratching for the Lord
One more (one more), one more (one more)
Forty dollars of hope and a quarter to the board

[VERSE 2 — roll call flow, affectionate]
Old man Dee, forty years, biggest hit a hundred flat
Says the scratching's just a way to pass the time and chat
Denise does birthday numbers, anniversaries, her granny's age
Swears the system got a pattern — writes it on a page
We ain't stupid, we can read the odds printed on the back
One in 3.92 — but have you seen my Monday, Jack?
It's the only stock exchange where a man like me can play
Every ticket's a little Friday where the week just goes away

[VERSE 3 — flow opens up, the almost-win]
Last Friday hit two hundred — I just stood there, disbelief
Alphonso rung the bell so loud it shook the jerky shelf
Didn't blow it at the bar, didn't blow it at the store
Paid the light bill a week early — walked out lighter than before
Kept one twenty for the ritual — a dream needs feeding too
Even broke folks get dessert — that's just what dreamers do
Alphonso asked me what I'd do if I hit it for a mil
"Same thing, plus Saturdays" — he bagged my tickets, "see you, Will"

[HOOK — biggest one, everybody at the counter singing]
One more (one more), one more (one more)
Gas station chapel, baby, scratching for the Lord
One more (one more), one more (one more)
Forty dollars of hope and a quarter to the board

[OUTRO — chant fading, piano triplets rolling out]
One more (one more) ... (see you next Friday, Alphonso)

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[INSTRUMENTAL — piano triplets rolling over snaps, bass bouncing in] [VERSE 1 — easy storytelling flow, smiling] Fridays after shift I'm at the Chevron on Grand Alphonso got my two-dollar crosswords waiting in his hand Two Crossword Cash, one Lucky 7s, scratched with Granddad's quarter Ritual older than my car and holier than water Won fifty bucks in March — Alphonso rung the little bell Frame the winning ticket? Nah, I spent it — wish me well My girl calls it a tax on hope — she might be right I call it twenty minutes of maybe on a Friday night [HOOK — cheerful chant, call and answer] One more (one more), one more (one more) Gas station chapel, baby, scratching for the Lord One more (one more), one more (one more) Forty dollars of hope and a quarter to the board [VERSE 2 — roll call flow, affectionate] Old man Dee, forty years, biggest hit a hundred flat Says the scratching's just a way to pass the time and chat Denise does birthday numbers, anniversaries, her granny's age Swears the system got a pattern — writes it on a page We ain't stupid, we can read the odds printed on the back One in 3.92 — but have you seen my Monday, Jack? It's the only stock exchange where a man like me can play Every ticket's a little Friday where the week just goes away [HOOK — cheerful chant, call and answer] One more (one more), one more (one more) Gas station chapel, baby, scratching for the Lord One more (one more), one more (one more) Forty dollars of hope and a quarter to the board [VERSE 3 — flow opens up, the almost-win] Last Friday hit two hundred — I just stood there, disbelief Alphonso rung the bell so loud it shook the jerky shelf Didn't blow it at the bar, didn't blow it at the store Paid the light bill a week early — walked out lighter than before Kept one twenty for the ritual — a dream needs feeding too Even broke folks get dessert — that's just what dreamers do Alphonso asked me what I'd do if I hit it for a mil "Same thing, plus Saturdays" — he bagged my tickets, "see you, Will" [HOOK — biggest one, everybody at the counter singing] One more (one more), one more (one more) Gas station chapel, baby, scratching for the Lord One more (one more), one more (one more) Forty dollars of hope and a quarter to the board [OUTRO — chant fading, piano triplets rolling out] One more (one more) ... (see you next Friday, Alphonso)

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