[Verse 1: Chanson male lead, gritty and low over a heavy kick and upright bass] Corner table at the cafe, same chair every day Little coffee, little paper, little nothin' much to say When the painter's short on rent, I tell the bar, "Put it on mine" When the baker's boy got married, every bottle of the wine When the widow's roof was leakin', when the tailor's kid was sick I just nodded at the bartender, mon ami, and it was quick Twenty years of rounds and favors, and I never sent a bill Every name on this whole street is in a little book I fill [Verse 2: Chanson male lead, colder, classical guitar riff between the lines] Then a man in a pressed suit parks a long car in my view Says he's buyin' every building, says the block is goin' new Takes his money to the baker and his money to the store And they both look out the window at my table, and they close the door Takes his offer to the painter, to the widow, to the bar And they all say, "Ask monsieur," and they point to where we are So he sits down at my table, slides a number across, clean And I smile and stir my coffee, and I wait to see him lean [Hook: Chanson male lead, full band] Put it on my tab, mon ami, I got the whole street's bill Every round I ever bought is somebody standin' still You can wave your fancy money, buy the building, buy the view But I been keepin' tabs, and every tab is keepin' you [Verse 3: Chanson male lead, chair scrape, every chair in the cafe scrapes back on the beat at once] He says, "Everyone's got a price," I say, "Of course, and I paid it first Twenty years of little prices, and you came here with a purse" Then the painter stands up slowly, then the tailor, then the bar Then the widow and the baker and the boy who parks the car Every chair in the cafe scrapes the floor at once, voila And the suit counts twenty faces, and he doesn't like what he saw Allez, finish up your coffee, it's on me, it's always free But you'll never buy this street, monsieur, the street belongs to me [Final Hook: Chanson male lead, full band] Put it on my tab, mon ami, I got the whole street's bill Every round I ever bought is somebody standin' still You can wave your fancy money, buy the building, buy the view But I been keepin' tabs, and every tab is keepin' you [Outro: Chanson male lead, low over the upright bass] Voila, monsieur, your coffee's on the house And the house is on my tab, so see yourself out [End]
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