[Verse 1] He’s got coal on his boots And sleep in his eyes By the mine door groanin’ Under bruise-black skies He says, “I’ll be a minute” Then he drifts like smoke Past the lamp in the window Past the ash on my coat [Pre-Chorus] Moon on the fence wire Cold in the bone He leans on my shoulder Like a tombstone [Chorus] Sleepy, stay with me Sleepy, don’t you roam Sleepy, lay your heavy head And make this porch your home Sleepy, stay with me Till the crows go low Sleepy, if the dark comes close I’ll sing you back to glow [Verse 2] There’s a notch in the rocker Where he always leans Half his heart in a dreamland Half in the pines between He’s got that graveyard patience That midnight grace Like a lantern burning In a weathered face [Pre-Chorus] Moon on the fence wire Cold in the bone He leans on my shoulder Like a tombstone [Chorus] Sleepy, stay with me Sleepy, don’t you roam Sleepy, lay your heavy head And make this porch your home Sleepy, stay with me Till the crows go low Sleepy, if the dark comes close I’ll sing you back to glow [Bridge] When the wind starts clawing At the boards outside And the old fears gather For a longer ride I’ll keep the fire talking I’ll keep the door shut tight You can close those tired eyelids I’ll stand watch through the night [Final Chorus] Sleepy, stay with me Sleepy, don’t you roam Sleepy, lay your heavy head And make this porch your home Sleepy, stay with me Till the crows go low Sleepy, if the dark comes close I’ll sing you back to glow
