[Intro] Same late hour, same bell above the door. “Evening, Sam.” “Yeah, just the usual?” [Verse 1] I step past papers stacked beside the glass. Handwritten prices lean across each tag. The fridge hums low, then rattles once for breath. Sam knows my tea before I reach the shelf. He asks Miss June if her knee’s doing well. She says, “Still mine,” and laughs beneath her scarf. A kid counts coins in towers by the till. Two roll away; I stop one with my shoe. A cabbie nods, still smelling like the rain. One stranger holds the door; one says, “You first.” Three words get traded by the lottery sign. The bell keeps score of everyone who leaves. [Hook] At the corner store, they remember me. Small talk, warm light, a little company. Nothing grand—just corner store philosophy. We come and go, but no one leaves unseen. [Instrumental Break] [Verse 2] The clock above the register runs slow. Sam’s hands move fast; he’s worked since afternoon. He bags each loaf as if the loaf could bruise. No speech on pride—he counts the change with care. Miss June folds coupons clean along the seams. The kid comes up one nickel short, then waits. Sam taps the counter: “Next time, you’re all right.” That mercy costs a coin but saves a face. Two night-shift workers talk out by the curb. They trade bus times and names of better shoes. I used to think a block was brick and streets. Now I see people keeping time for people. [Hook] At the corner store, they remember me. Small talk, warm light, a little company. Nothing grand—just corner store philosophy. We come and go, but no one leaves unseen. [Bridge] Maybe time is not the clock alone. Maybe dignity sounds like, “Take your time.” I stand beneath the light a moment more. The whole block breathes when one door stays awake. [Final Hook] At the corner store, they remember me. Small talk, warm light, a little company. Nothing grand—just corner store philosophy. We come and go, but no one leaves unseen. We come and go, but no one leaves unseen. We come and go, but no one leaves unseen. [Outro] The fridge hums on; dawn pales the paper stack. I take my tea; the bell speaks once, then rests.
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